Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will leave the country this month after decades of military presence, becoming the latest African nation to reduce its military ties with its former colonizer.

President Alassane Ouattara stated that the 43rd naval battalion in Port-Bouët, Abidjan, where the French forces were stationed, will “hand over” to the Ivorian armed forces starting January 2025.

Ivory Coast is the latest country in West Africa to expel former colonial troops, following Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.