In a moment heavy with history and symbolism, France has officially ended its decades-long military presence in Senegal, closing

Senegal’s new government has taken a hard-line stance against the presence of French troops as part of a larger regional backlash against what many see as the legacy of an oppressive colonial empire.V

France has handed over the last military base in Senegal to the country’s government. Now France does not have any permanent military presence in central and western Africa. The pushback against French presence has come in recent years even as jihadist insurgency has gained traction lately.