Dakar - Saba:
The year 2025 will mark the end of foreign military presence in Senegal, president of the West African country, who was elected president in March, said on Wednesday.
"I have instructed the Minister of the Armed Forces to propose a new principle of cooperation in the field of defense and security, which includes, among other consequences, the end of all foreign military presence in Senegal as of 2025", Bassirou Diomaye Faye added in a New Year's address.
It is the first time he has set a date for the closure of foreign military bases.
Faye stated that "all of Senegal's friends will be treated as strategic partners, within the framework of an open, diverse and unrestricted cooperation."
The president, who took office in April, was elected on a promise to achieve sovereignty and end dependence on foreign countries.
On November 28, he told Agence France-Presse that the presence of French military bases in Senegal was inconsistent with that sovereignty, noting that "Senegal is an independent, sovereign state and its sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases," some 64 years after Senegal gained independence from France.
However, he said this action did not constitute a break with France, like those seen elsewhere in West Africa in recent years.
"France remains an important partner for Senegal in terms of investment in Senegal, the presence of French companies, and even French citizens in Senegal," Faye said.
| more of (International) |