Hommam Al Nassim 
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has hinted at the possibility of closing the French military bases in Senegal as part of achieving greater strategic independence and strengthening national sovereignty.
Sonko, who took office after the March 24 elections, spoke of the need to reassess the French military presence in Senegal, which includes about 350 French military personnel.
More than sixty years after independence, Sonko said, “we must ask why the French army still benefits from numerous military bases on our soil,” explaining that this affects “our strategic independence and national sovereignty.”
Senegal “aspires to take full control of its territory”, which contradicts the permanent presence of foreign military bases, he said.
The existence of defense agreements with several States did not justify the continued occupation of one third of the Dakar region by foreign garrisons.
Sonko’s remarks come in the context of a regional trend towards reassessing relations with foreign powers, with neighboring countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger expelling French troops from their territories and turning to Russia to help fight terrorist groups.
The new Senegalese president reassures his country’s partners