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 handed over control of its last major military facility in Senegal on Thursday, marking the end of its armed forces' long presence in the West African country and a milestone in a withdrawal from the wider region.

The French military completed its withdrawal from Senegal on July 17 — the last West African country where it maintained a permanent troop presence — amid a steady decline in regional influence in recent years. End of an era, or not? We discuss with Dame Babou, correspondent for the daily Sud Quotidien, and France 24’s Marc Perelman.