France to keep 80 troops in Ivory Coast, defense minister says

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A French sniper team is seen in Mali, March 28, 2020. (French Army photo via Wikimedia Commons)

ABIDJAN (Reuters) -     France said on Thursday it would keep 80 military personnel in Ivory Coast largely for training purposes, as it handed over control of a military base in the commercial capital amid a scaling back of its forces across West and Central Africa.

At Thursday's ceremony in Abidjan, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France was "not disappearing". 

The 80 military personnel would form "the basis of a joint detachment ... depending on the needs you express, needs that will be constantly reassessed, particularly in terms of training," he said.

Forces from former colonial power France have been deployed in Ivory Coast for decades, helping President Alassane Ouattara take office in 2011 after his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo refused to acknowledge defeat in the 2010 election.

In late November, sources told Reuters that France was considering reducing its military presence in West and Central African countries including Ivory Coast to 600 troops from around 2,200, at a time when Russia has been gaining ground.

Ouattara said in December that French forces would withdraw from Ivory Coast.

France began its military withdrawal from Chad in December after the government there - a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region - abruptly ended its defence cooperation pact with France.

France had already pulled its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military coups and spreading anti-French sentiment.

 (Reporting by Ange Aboa; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Aidan Lewis)