11/6/2023
By Mamadou Faye
BBC News Afrique
"French armies. Go away," sang Ivorian reggae star Alpha Blondy in the late 1990s. That anthem marked the beginning of a new era of sovereignty.
Yet with the rise of Islamist militancy in West Africa, France took up a request to send in more troops.
The first was Operation Serval, an operation in Mali launched after jihadists overtook the north of the country in 2012. This was replaced by Operation Barkhane, a more regional counter-insurgency mission that ended in November 2022.
Dr Sambe argues that both of them failed as terror groups in the region multiplied during this time.
"Countries began to doubt the importance of France's strategic presence - ideas and conspiracy theories developed suggesting they were somehow attracting or aggravating the terrorist threat," he says.
This together with calls for "sovereignty" coming from a younger generation mean many people want to see the back of French troops.
Recent military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - where junta leaders decided to kick out French soldiers and won public praise in the process - are testament to this.
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