(AP) — Chad’s government is ending a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, to redefine the nation’s sovereignty.
The 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 Thursday.
It said the decision to end the agreement would allow Chad to redefine its strategic partnerships in line with national priorities. There was no immediate response from France’s government.
Chad was one of the last countries in the region in which 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. Those countries have inched closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel, the vast expanse below the Sahara desert.
Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, 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.
“Deby has been seeking to diversify its 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.
France has maintained about 1,000 troops in Chad, and the statement didn’t specify when they have to leave.
Chad 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.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal said 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.
“It’s not because the French have been there since the slavery period that it’s impossible to do otherwise,” he said.
