Chad Ends Defence Agreement with France, Ordering French Troop Withdrawal

Chad has announced the termination of its defence cooperation agreement with France, marking a significant shift in the country’s foreign policy and leading to the planned withdrawal of French troops, Al Jazeera reports.

The decision, announced Thursday by Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah, follows a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

While acknowledging France as “an essential partner,” Koulamallah emphasized Chad’s sovereignty. The agreement, revised in 2019, will be terminated to allow Chad to redefine its strategic partnerships.

The move affects around 1,000 French soldiers and warplanes currently stationed in Chad, the last Sahel country to host a French military presence. France has been forced to withdraw its troops from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso in recent years following military coups. No timeline for the withdrawal was provided.

The decision comes after a meeting between French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who has cultivated closer ties with Russia. Deby assumed the presidency in May 2021 after three years as interim leader following the death of his father, Idriss Deby, who ruled Chad since a coup in the early 1990s.

Chad’s geographical location, bordering several countries with a presence of the Russian Wagner Group, including the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, and Niger, adds a significant geopolitical dimension to the announcement. The Foreign Ministry stated that the decision reflects Chad’s desire to fully assert its sovereignty after 66 years of independence.

The news follows similar sentiments expressed by Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who suggested in an interview with French state television that the continued presence of French troops (approximately 350) in his country was inappropriate. He did not, however, specify a timeline for their potential departure.