France to pull troops from Ivory Coast in February

France will hand back to Ivory Coast its only military base in the west African country in a ceremony on February 20, sources with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Thursday.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara announced the planned withdrawal in December, making it the latest country in the region to weaken military ties with the former colonial power.

“The scheduled date is February 20. Ivory Coast is ready,” said a source in Ivory Coast, with sources on the French side confirming the date.

French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu is expected to attend the official ceremony with his Ivorian counterpart Tene Birahima Ouattara.

France has spent years preparing a “reorganisation” of military relations after the forced departure of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military-led governments hostile to the ex-colonial ruler have seized power in recent years.

In November, Senegal and Chad also announced within hours of each other that they would bring to an end France’s military presence.

France and Ivory Coast have worked together on the handover of the base at Port-Bouet in commercial hub Abidjan — where French troops from the 43rd BIMA marine infantry battalion are stationed.

About 1,000 French soldiers were deployed to help in particular with the fight against jihadists, who launch regular attacks across the wider region.

Some 80 French troops are expected to remain at the Abidjan camp to carry out training exercises.

Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa producer which also has huge deposits of natural resources including oil, gas and gold, remains an important ally of France.