Senegal: Prime Minister Sonko Against French Bases

Criticism of France and a pledge to strengthen relations with neighbors Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, “Brothers of the Sahel,” countries ruled by military alliances after recent coups d’état. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko distanced himself from Paris in a speech, in which he also talked about oil agreements and the CFA currency, historically linked to the franc, today to the euro, and used in various African countries.

“More than 60 years after independence, we must ask why the French army is still using several military bases in our country and what impact this presence has on our national sovereignty and our strategic autonomy,” Sonko explained during the conference in Dakar, which was also attended by Jean-Luc Melanchon, leader of the French leftist party Unconquered France.

This is reported by Reuters, which adds that Sonko expressed on behalf of his country a desire for greater autonomy that would be incompatible with the presence of foreign military bases: “Many countries have promised defense agreements, but this doesn’t justify the fact that one-third of the Dakar region is now occupied by foreign troops.” There are currently 350 French soldiers in Senegal.

As for the CFA currency, Sonko explained that he would like to have a more flexible currency, pegged to at least two currencies, to better support exports and respond to potential shocks.