Hommam Al Nassim 
Experts in international relations predicted that France’s problems in Africa will become more difficult in the coming period after a new leadership took power in Senegal, known for its orientation to “liberate Senegal from dependence on former colonizers.”
Senegal’s new president, Baciro Diomaye Faye, surprisingly won the presidential election, which took place last March, with 54.28 percent, to take over from President Macky Sall, who did not participate in these elections, and Faye won the election a few days after his release from prison, which was considered an indication of the popularity of his “ideas different from his predecessor.”
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, after the current leadership took office, demanded that France withdraw its troops, sometimes even severing diplomatic relations, as happened between Niger and France.
President Faye and his Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, belong to a movement that relies on freedom from dependence on the West in general, and in particular France, and calls for a review of agreements and protocols of economic and security cooperation with it.
Senegal and Chad are one of the last remaining of France’s direct influence in West Africa, as Paris maintains a limited military presence of about 500 troops in Senegal, but the French Ministry of Defense announced before the elections its intention to reduce their number to about 260 troops by next June.
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