France, March 7 -- Two of the five French army bases in Senegal were officially handed over to the local authorities on Friday. It's the first step towards a complete withdrawal of French military presence in the country.

The military sites of Marechal and Saint-Exupery, not far from the port of Dakar, were officially returned to Senegalese authorities.

The French military said these two sites had been empty for a year and had already been earmarked to be handed back to Senegal.

According to RFI's correspondent, there was no ceremony, just the signing of a document to mark the transfer.

Since his election last April, Senegal's President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has made it clear that he wants to reshape his country's relationships with ...