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Chad ends defense cooperation agreement with France

The government of Chad has decided to end a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, in a move set to redefine the nation’s sovereignty. This decision marks a historic turning point after the Central African nation gained independence more than six decades ago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement last Thursday.

The Chad government said the decision to end the agreement would allow Chad to redefine its strategic partnerships in line with national priorities.

France has maintained about 1,000 troops in Chad, and the statement didn’t specify when they have to leave. There has been no immediate response from the government of France as yet.

Chad was one of the last countries in the region where France maintained a large military presence, having been ousted in recent years from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso after years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. These countries in recent times have inched closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel, the vast expanse below the Sahara Desert.

Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power after his father, who ran the country for more than three decades, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced it was extending the 18-month transition for two more years, which led to protests across the country.

Analysts say Deby has mistrusted France for a while, and the decision creates an opportunity for other nations, notably Russia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates to woo Chad into an alliance.

“Deby has been seeking to diversify Chad’s security partnerships away from exclusive deals. He doesn’t trust (French President Emmanuel) Macron. He can also not ignore widespread anti-French sentiment,” said Ulf Laessing, Head of the Sahel program at Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali.

The government of Chad has said the decision in no way calls into question the countries’ historical ties and that it wants to maintain relations in other areas of common interest.

France still has 350 troops in Senegal, another former colony, which remains a security partner in the region. But the French military presence there also appears to be under threat as President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal said mentioned earlier that it was “obvious” that soon there won’t be any French soldiers on Senegalese soil, in an interview with Le Monde which was published hours after the declaration by Chadian authorities. Faye added that the relationship with the former colonizer had to be redefined.

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