In a symbolic ceremony this Thursday, France will officially transfer control of the Port-Bouët military camp to the Ivorian army. This marks a significant milestone in the restructuring of France’s military presence in Africa. The handover reflects the evolving nature of military cooperation between the two nations and takes place against the backdrop of rising independence movements across the continent.
France is officially transferring the Port-Bouët military camp to the Ivorian army today, Thursday 20 February, in a symbolic ceremony attended by French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and his Ivorian counterpart Téné Birahima Ouattara.
Until now, the base had been home to the 43rd French Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA).
The Port-Bouët camp is now named General Thomas-d’Aquin-Ouattara, in honour of the first Chief of Staff of the Ivorian army, and the French flag will no longer fly over it.
The handover of the site to the Ivorian army was actually decided in April 2023, and the process began a few weeks ago, allowing the military to adapt the 230-hectare camp to its needs.
Since 20 January, a battalion of 90 Ivorian paratroopers has taken up residence there, particularly appreciating the space and access to infrastructure offered by the site.
“We have access to facilities that are all in one place, which makes training easier and helps us remain operationally ready,” Captain Fabrice Yoboué Kouamé, head of the paratrooper detachment, told RFI’s correspondent in Abidjan.
The deputy commander of the 1st Engineer Battalion of Bouaké, Lieutenant-Colonel Roméo Koffi, is overseeing the final logistical preparations on the parade ground ahead of Thursday’s ceremony.
Providing training
During the ceremony, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and his Ivorian counterpart Téné Birahima Ouattara will also sign new military cooperation agreements between the two countries.
About a hundred French soldiers will remain at the camp to provide training. In January, a military academy for information and communication systems was established in the camp and is currently training a dozen future Ivorian unit commanders.
According to the academy’s director, Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Clément Gbalou, this is a welcome move.
“While, in the past, most of our officers had to go abroad for training, such as in France,” he told RFI. “Thanks to the academy, within a year or two, we will have numerous officers whom we can directly deploy to operational theatres.”
As part of this new French – Ivorian military cooperation, the focus will be on training as well as joint exercises, according to Colonel Ivert, who commands the French inter-army detachment in Côte d’Ivoire.
“The core of our cooperation will be joint training, where everyone contributes to everyone else. These are opportunities that cannot be found elsewhere,” he said.
“Côte d’Ivoire benefits from maintaining French expertise,” another Ivorian officer added.
The French military hopes to complete its withdrawal by next summer.
France’s waning presence in Africa
This handover of the Port-Bouët camp to the Ivorian army is proceeding smoothly, but it nonetheless marks a new stage in the reconfiguration of France’s military presence in Africa.
France to handover last military base in Côte d’Ivoire as retreat from West Africa continues
It comes in response to the growing wave of demands for departure of French soldiers across the former French empire.
In 2022, the end of Operation Barkhane in the Sahel marked the demise of a permanent French military presence in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which also led to the disappearance of historical French military bases.
Now, the departure from Côte d’Ivoire comes after the ones from Gabon last summer, Chad in January, and ahead of Senegal soon–where France still has 300 soldiers.
(With newswires)
