France to hand over last military base in Côte d’Ivoire

France will hand Côte d’Ivoire back its only military base in the country in a ceremony on February 20th, further decreasing French influence in West Africa, reported RFI on February 7th.

Alassane Ouattara, the Ivorian president, confirmed the planned withdrawal last December, making his country the the latest in the region to cut military ties with former colonial power France.

French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu is expected to be in attendance at the ceremony, along with his Ivorian counterpart Tene Birahima Ouattara.