France on Thursday formally transferred control of its last two military installations in Senegal—Camp Geille in Dakar and an adjoining airfield at the capital’s airport—bringing to an end a 65-year permanent troop presence in the West African nation and leaving Paris without fixed bases in either West or Central Africa. About 350 French soldiers will depart after a three-month draw-down that began in March. The handover ceremony was attended by Senegal’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Mbaye Cissé and Gen. Pascal Ianni, who commands French forces in Africa. Cissé called the step “an important turning point” in bilateral ties, while Ianni said France could maintain security cooperation without permanent bases. The pull-out followed President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s request that all foreign forces leave Senegal by the end of 2025. It extends a regional retrenchment that has already seen French bases closed in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Ivory Coast and Gabon amid rising anti-French sentiment and a wave of military coups. Djibouti now hosts France’s only permanent garrison on the continent. Paris says future engagement in Africa will focus on training missions and targeted support rather than large, long-term deployments.