Military training in Senegal: strengthened Franco-Senegalese collaboration
While the French military presence is gradually ending in Niger, another form of collaboration between France and an African country is attracting attention: Senegal. For twelve years, nearly 500 French soldiers have been stationed in Senegal to provide training and training for Senegalese officers and those from the fifteen ECOWAS countries.
However, in the coming months, this presence will evolve. Not only will it be reduced, but training will also be increasingly co-managed with the Senegalese army. A concrete example of this collaboration is given by an intelligence training session followed by RFI.
In a military base in Dakar, sixteen officers from Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Guinea-Conakry are participating in this full-scale intelligence gathering exercise to manage unexpected situations. This new approach to training is a significant change for these officers, who were accustomed to working in their respective countries.
The novelty also lies in the fact that for the first time, an officer from the Senegalese army is participating in the organization of this training alongside the French. According to Lieutenant-Colonel Louis, training coordinator, the Senegalese presence is crucial because it allows a better understanding of the specificities of the work of the West African comrades. Indeed, the linguistic and cultural barrier can sometimes make communication less fluid between French people and African nationals, while compatriots from the sub-region understand each other more easily.
This new approach is part of the policy of transformation of the French military base in Senegal, in accordance with the presidential decisions taken last January. Colonel Eric Talleu, chief of staff of the French elements in Senegal, underlines that the objective is to strengthen the overlap between the French and Senegalese partners. One of the first results of this cooperation is the creation of a joint training center, symbolized by the display of the French and Senegalese flags in the training premises.
At the same time, this new approach also implies a reduction in the presence of French soldiers in Senegal. By this summer, their workforce should increase from 500 to around 260, mainly instructors who will continue training in collaboration with the Senegalese army.
This new dynamic between France and Senegal in the field of military training shows the importance of a strengthened partnership between African countries and the former colonial power. This joint approach contributes to the professionalization of African armed forces and thus strengthens the security and stability of the region.