France Withdraws Last Troop From Central African Republic

France withdrew its last troop from the Central African Republic (CAR), the French Defense Ministry said Thursday in a statement.

The last 130 French soldiers in the CAR, as part of the logistics mission, MISLOG, left the country, the ministry said and stressed that the mission no longer had "any operational justification."

"The M'Poko camp was handed over in proper order to the Central African authorities on December 13," in a transparent way and in constant contact with CAR authorities, it noted.

The procedure has been coordinated with two international missions deployed at the same camp, MINUSCA and EUTM-RCA, according to the French ministry.

Relations grew tense between France and CAR in 2021.

Paris suspended military cooperation with the CAR on June 7, 2021, accusing it of leading anti-France campaigns and Paris announced the withdrawal of its last troop in the capital, Bangui, before the end of 2022.

Bangui removed the deanship of the diplomatic corps in the CAR in November 2022, a privilege that had been granted to French ambassadors since 1960. -