News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 29th November 2024
Chad has announced the termination of a vital defence cooperation pact with France, increasing concerns about Paris’ declining influence in Africa’s troubled Sahel area. Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah stated that it was time for his country to “assert its full sovereignty”. The declaration came only hours after Koulamallah’s French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, met with Chad’s President, Mahamat Deby. Chad is an important ally in the West’s battle against Islamist militants in the West African Sahel region.
However, ahead to the presidential election in May, Chad’s authorities ordered the evacuation of US troops from the country, indicating a shift away from the country’s traditional Western partners. France now has approximately 1,000 troops in the Central African country, providing intelligence and logistical support to the Chadian military from various facilities, including the capital, N’Djamena. France, Chad’s former colonial power, signed an updated version of the military and security agreement in 2019.
Chad is the latest Central and West African country to withdraw from security agreements with Paris. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have all cut ties with France and other Western countries in recent years, turning to Russia for assistance instead. However, Koulamallah told the AFP news agency that Chad’s choice did not represent a “break with France, like Niger or elsewhere”.
France was a “essential partner,” but Chad needed to “redefine its strategic partnerships based on national priorities,” Koulamallah said during a press briefing on Thursday. The authorities emphasized that the action would have no negative consequences for Chad’s relationship with France.
