"This is not a rupture with France like in Niger or elsewhere," assured Minister Abderaman Koulamallah.
Chad was the last Sahelian country to host French forces--on Thursday, November 28, this was announced when it declared that it was ending its security and defense agreements with Paris, mere hours after a visit from the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot.
"The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the defense cooperation agreement signed with the French Republic," declared Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah via a statement on the ministry's Facebook page.
Chad is a key point of support for the French military presence in Africa, given that it is the last anchor point of Paris in the Sahel after the French troops have been forced out of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
"Tell me what has developed in this context."
"France has always been a partner, but it must not forget that Chad is maturing, growing up, and has a sovereign condition from which it is very jealous," Mr. Koulamallah noted shortly before, after the meeting that took place between president Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno and Mr. Barrot ".
Barrot, who had gone to Ethiopia on Thursday night, could not immediately be reached for comment and, by the same token, was the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
In May, the transition entered its third year with a general election in favor of Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, who was catapulted into power by the military junta after his father Idriss Déby was killed by the rebels at the front.
Threats from the offensives of rebels made it possible for father Déby to rely on the support of the French army to push them back in 2008 and in 2019... This is not a break from France, like in Niger or elsewhere," Mr. Koulamallah assured Agence France Presse, by telephone, whose territory still hosts around a thousand French soldiers, "Chad shall, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, respect how it is to be terminated next, such as the period to give notice," specifies the ministerial statement, which makes no statement regarding when the troops will disengage from Chad.
The announcement comes as Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye named France to abandon its military bases in Senegal on the ground of sovereignty.
Additional aid of 7 million euros from France
In Chad, the decision to suspend operations was taken "after very deep thinking" and marks "a historic turning point," said Mr. Koulamallah in his statement. "After sixty-six years since the proclamation of the Republic of Chad, it is time for Chad to assert its full sovereignty, and to redefine its strategic partnerships according to national priorities," he added, assuring that Mr. Barrot's visit had also helped to strengthen bilateral relations "at all levels."
Mr. Barrot's visit was meant to assess the humanitarian crisis due to the war in Sudan. He visited the Sudanese refugee camps in Adré with the Chadian minister, announcing an additional €7 million from France for humanitarian organizations. He also appealed to the belligerents in Sudan to put a stop to the fighting and called on the "foreign powers allied with the belligerents to stop throwing oil onto the fire" by supplying them with weapons. He referred to nobody else but Russia. Nevertheless, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are alleged to have received arms from the United Arab Emirates, while Chad was accused of supporting them by letting arms pass through its territory.
Ce lundi, à la demande du président de la République, Jean-Marie Bockel, l’envoyé personnel d’Emmanuel Macron en Afrique, a remis au président français un rapport sur la reconfiguration du dispositif militaire français en Afrique tourné vers un partenariat « renouvelé » et « coconstruit », souligne l’Elysée.
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