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Chad sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles on Thursday by declaring the end of its military cooperation with France, a long-time partner and former colonial ruler. The announcement came in the immediate aftermath of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s visit, raising questions about the underlying tensions in their bilateral relations.
“The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with the French Republic,” foreign minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement on Facebook.
As France’s military presence in Africa faces increasing challenges, Chad remains a critical anchor, representing Paris’s final base of operations in the Sahel after troop withdrawals from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger under pressure.
“This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere,” Koulamallah, whose country still hosts around a thousand French troops, told AFP.
Chad is the last Sahel country to host French troops. It has been led by Deby since 2021, when his father Idriss Deby Itno was killed by rebels after 30 years in power.
At a media briefing following discussions between President Mahamat Idriss Deby and Barrot, Koulamallah praised France as “an essential partner.” He went on to highlight Chad’s development, asserting that the country has “matured” and remains “jealous of its sovereignty as an independent nation.”
Having arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday evening, Barrot was unreachable for immediate comment.
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The elder Deby frequently relied on French military support to fend off rebel offensives, including in 2008 and 2019. The landlocked nation faces a potent threat from Boko Haram and other militant groups.
It borders the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger, all of which host Russian paramilitary forces from the Wagner group.
Deby has sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation with Russia have yet to bear concrete results.
Koulamallah called the decision to end military cooperation a “historic turning point”, adding it was made after “in-depth analysis”.
“Chad, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, undertakes to respect the terms laid down for its termination, including the notice period”, he said in the statement, which did not give a date for the withdrawal of French troops.
The announcement comes just days after Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye indicated in an interview with AFP that France should close its military bases in that country.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” Faye told AFP on Thursday.
