Chad: Goverment Breaks Military Relations with France
French Soldiers in Chad, Nov 2024 Photo: @Evoclique_
November 29, 2024 Hour: 12:32 pm
Government of Chad assured Paris that its decision does not call into question the historical relations and bonds of friendship between the two nations.
Following the withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Chad was the last country with a French military presence in the Sahel.
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Chad announced on Thursday its determination to break the security and defence cooperation agreements with France, which will lose its last military presence in the Sahel region.
«The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to terminate the agreement on cooperation in defense matters signed with the French Republic», said the African country’s chancellor Abderaman Koulamallah in a statement.
In another paragraph of the text, the Government of Chad assured Paris that its decision does not call into question the historical relations and bonds of friendship between the two nations.
He also stressed that he would continue to maintain «constructive relations» with France in other areas of common interest and that they remain open to «a constructive dialogue to explore new forms of partnership».
Following the withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Chad was the last country with a French military presence in the Sahel, where Paris loses its traditional influence inherited from colonial times.
The announcement of the African country comes just hours after the visit of the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot.
«France is a key partner but it must also consider that Chad has grown, matured and is a sovereign state and very jealous of its sovereignty», said Koulamallah after a meeting between Barrot and President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno.
France still has several bases in the African countries of Ivory Coast, Senegal, Gabon and Djibouti.
However, the Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, said on Thursday that France should close its bases in that West African country under the argument of sovereignty.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: EFE-Africanews
