The final departure of the last French military base in Senegal, marking the end of a permanent presence of nearly 350 soldiers, symbolizes a major turning point in West African geopolitics.

The region, long under the tutelary shadow of foreign powers, is now embarking on a quest for security autonomy that transcends bilateral logic to prioritize the construction of a regional collective. This shift is both urgent and a huge challenge, in a context where threats are multiple and shifting.

ECOWAS, a historic player in regional cooperation, has taken the lead by activating a reserve force whose strength could vary from 1,650 to 5,000 soldiers.

More than just a troop, this force embodies the hope of a shared defense, capable of responding quickly to border or internal crises, based on a consensus between member states.

At the same time, the Alliance of Sahel States (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso) is weaving its own security web, responding to specific realities and a desire to strengthen coordination in the face of growing instability.

This mosaic of initiatives illustrates a significant strategic redefinition. It questions the possibility, even the necessity, of a truly unified West African army, capable of combining resources, expertise, and political will within a common architecture. But it also highlights the tensions, diverging priorities, and geopolitical fractures that run through the region.

West African security autonomy is not simply a withdrawal of former foreign powers; it is a reinvention. A transition to a model where collective sovereignty takes precedence over dispersed arrangements.

Yet this path is strewn with pitfalls, particularly in terms of financing, command, integration of forces, political acceptance and popular support.

At a time when global balances are shifting, when African states want to make their voices heard in the governance of their own security, this regional dynamic is emerging as an essential path. It outlines the contours of a future where strength will no longer be that of an isolated state alone, but the sum of a common will, fragile but full of hope.

A mosaic in progress, towards a West Africa master of its security destiny.