Chad has become the latest African state to end a defence cooperation pact with former coloniser France.
In a Foreign Ministry statement issued on 28 November, the country straddling the Sahara Desert and the arid Sahel region announced the termination of this pact. The announcement came just hours after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s visit.
Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in the statement that in ‘accordance with the provisions of the agreement, [Chad] undertakes to respect the terms laid down for its termination, including the notice period.’ However, the timeframe for a French troop departure was unclear as of press time.
France has stationed about 1,000 military personnel in the capital, N’Djamena, Abéché in the east and Faya in the north. In April, Chad’s air force chief ordered about 100 US troops at the Adji Kossei Air Base near N’Djamena to cease operations.
The Sahelian country now joins the ranks of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in seeking to decolonise African territories, reclaim natural resources and develop closer ties with Moscow, all at the expense of France and the US in what is a significant development in international relations.
Sources:
https://www.dw.com/en/chad-to-end-security-cooperation-with-france/a-70914205
https://www.barrons.com/news/chad-says-ending-military-cooperation-with-france-02cf7602
https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/chad-severs-defense-cooperation-agreement-with-france-afp/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/25/us-troops-chad/
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20241129-chad-ends-military-cooperation-with-france
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67278027
https://x.com/cecild84/status/1862280328028569767