France has officially handed over the Port-Bouet military base near Abidjan to Côte d’Ivoire, renaming it “Camp Thomas d’Aquin Ouattara” after the country’s first army chief of staff. The transfer, announced by President Alassane Ouattara, follows a two-year process and contrasts with the recent expulsions of French forces from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Senegal.
Since 1978, the base housed the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (43e BIMA). As part of France’s military reorganization in Africa, a gradual withdrawal of French troops will take place in 2025, though about 100 soldiers will remain for training and support missions.
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