France – French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to scale back military involvement in Africa has drastically reduced France’s influence in the region. Since 2022, French troops have withdrawn from several African nations, leading to growing instability, increased extremist activities, and opportunities for new global players, including Russia.
At one point, France had a military presence in at least nine African countries. However, by the end of 2025, only one French base will remain in Djibouti. The withdrawal has been rapid—France exited Mali and the Central African Republic in 2022, Burkina Faso and Niger in 2023, and Chad in January 2024. Today, France will officially hand over its last military base in Côte d’Ivoire.
For decades, France maintained a foothold in Africa, using military support to stabilize post-colonial states. The most notable effort was Operation Barkhane, launched in 2014 to combat Islamist extremism in the Sahel. At its peak, the operation had 5,500 troops deployed across Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad, with an annual budget of €1 billion. Despite some early successes, including reclaiming cities like Timbuktu and Gao, the operation ended in 2022, driven by growing anti-French sentiment and Russian influence campaigns.
The power vacuum left behind has been filled by various players. Military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, emboldened by coups between 2020 and 2023, sought alternative security partners. Russia has gained a stronghold in Mali, deploying up to 2,000 Wagner Group fighters under its Africa Corps. Meanwhile, Turkey’s defense consultancy SADAT has employed over 1,000 Syrian mercenaries in Niger, and Hungary has shown interest in sending troops to Chad to curb migration toward Europe.
This instability has fueled humanitarian crises. Ongoing conflicts, worsened by climate change, have led to severe food shortages, mass displacement, and rising extremist threats. Currently, 38 million people in the region face food insecurity, 5.7 million are internally displaced, and 2 million became refugees in 2024. Islamist groups such as al-Qaeda’s Sahelian branch and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara continue to expand their control, particularly in Burkina Faso, where they now dominate 80% of the country.
The situation has worsened significantly—violence linked to militant groups in the Sahel resulted in 11,200 deaths in 2024, three times more than in 2021. As France steps back, Africa’s security landscape is rapidly changing, with new actors reshaping the region’s geopolitical dynamics.
By Damilola Adeleke| February 24, 2025