It is dead calm at the General Geille camp in Ouakam this early afternoon of Wednesday, February 26, 2025. Once lively, the bunker with the appearance of a French village has almost emptied of its people. The few French soldiers still staying there are packing up their belongings while waiting for the withdrawal of troops planned for the beginning of the summer (in June).

A departure that the 162 Senegalese employees of the EFS (French elements of Senegal) have been apprehending with more serenity, for a few days now, with the implementation of the "Social Plan". This will certainly result in a collective dismissal, but in "excellent conditions", General Yves Aunis, Commander-in-Chief of the EFS, who received Seneweb in his office, is keen to point out from the outset.

"The EFS has always been a model employer in reality. For many reasons, he rejoices. First, because the working conditions here are excellent, the salaries of Senegalese civilian employees are much higher than what can be found elsewhere. This social plan which will result in a collective redundancy, we are considering it under the same conditions: that is to say in excellent conditions. This is to help our employees who are called to leave, to have a good level of compensation and to reassign themselves."

Thus, in application of Senegalese labor law and the collective agreement that was signed between the union and the employer (the EFS), statutory statutory compensation is provided (it is calculated on the basis of salary and seniority). To settle all of these compensations, the EFS has released an envelope of nearly one billion CFA francs. "This is only the statutory compensation," specifies General Aunis.

In addition to this envelope, he informs, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces has put on the table "additional money" in the form of negotiated compensation. "I am responsible for negotiating with the union, the amount of these negotiated compensations. For the moment it is not yet public because the negotiations are continuing. What we can remember is that the legal compensation is approximately 1 billion CFA francs. With the additional negotiated compensations, we will probably approach 1 billion 800 million CFA," he reports.

A forum organized with the employers of the two countries to reorient employees

In this very broad social plan that places "human" at the heart of the system, the organization of a careers forum is also planned to allow the 162 Senegalese employees to relaunch their professional careers elsewhere. "Nothing obliges me to do so, but it is an initiative that I wanted to launch to help employees," emphasizes the former colonel of the 3rd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the French Navy (RPIMa).

"We are going to help our staff to retrain. We are going to organize a careers fair here on March 6. We are going to bring in as many companies as possible that can offer jobs. The goal is to connect our employees with these companies. I wrote to the Senegalese Employers' Confederation (CNP, Editor's note) to invite them. I also asked military executives (officers, non-commissioned officers of the EFS) to get involved in helping employees with this reorientation perspective," he confided.

What about the rights of way and equipment that will be transferred to Senegal?

In view of the withdrawal of French troops, Dakar and Paris have decided to form a joint commission to "organize the arrangements for the departure of French elements in Senegal (EFS) and the restitution of the assets by the end of 2025," according to a press release from the foreign ministries of the two countries, published on Wednesday, February 12. "The two countries intend to work towards a new partnership in defense and security that takes into account the strategic priorities of all parties," the two heads of diplomacy informed.

The question that arises is to know which French military assets and equipment will be transferred to the State of Senegal? "Today we have not yet had real exchanges within the framework of a bilateral commission but it will happen in the coming weeks. We will see under what timetable we return this or that other asset. And when we return an asset it will be to the Senegalese State. Now, I do not know if these assets will go to the Senegalese army," they explain.

Former colonial power, France has several military installations in Senegal including: Camp Geille, the air stopover located at Blaise Diagne airport, the residence of the General of the EFS, among others. It should be noted that the camp of the 23rd ^BIMA was the first French military base returned to Senegal, on June 9, 2010.