Experts say they are following the example of Sahel countries as local leaders and populations want more sovereignty over their security

French troops will soon begin departing Ivory Coast, raising questions about what France's military presence in West Africa will look like, and how Ivory Coast will fill the security void.

Ivory Coast says that French troops will leave the country starting January 2025, becoming the latest African nation to downscale military ties with its former colonial power.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Tuesday that French forces would withdraw from the West African nation, continuing the former colonial power's military exit from the region.

Ivory Coast’s president announced the withdrawal of French troops from the country, joining a growing number of francophone states that have asked the former colonial power to relinquish its military presence in West Africa.

Senegalese and Chadian leaders say the ousting of French troops from their territories was their sovereign decision, rejecting remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron that suggested otherwise.