Speaking to French ambassadors at an annual conference on foreign policy for 2025, Macron said France had been right to intervene in 2013 to fight Islamist militants even if those same states had now moved away from French military support.

The comments have since been described by Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko as erroneous.

“I think that they forgot to thank us, but that’s ok, it will come in time,” Macron said ironically.
French troops have in recent years pulled out of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso after successive military coups and are in the process of withdrawing from Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast.

“None of them would have a sovereign state if the French army had not deployed in this region,” Macron said.

Macron dismissed the notion that Paris had been kicked out of the region, saying it had decided to re-organise its strategy.

In a statement on Monday, Sonko said: “President Emmanuel Macron stated today that the announced departure of the French bases would have been negotiated between the African countries that decreed it and France.

He continued by estimating that it was out of simple convenience and politeness that France granted the first announcement to these African countries.

I would like to say that, in the case of Senegal, this statement is totally erroneous.
No discussion or negotiation has taken place to date and the decision taken by Senegal stems from its sole will, as a free, independent and sovereign country.”

–Reuters/ChannelAfrica–