France has begun recalling its military assets from its former ally Chad, the latest blow to its dwindling influence across its former colonies in Africa.
Two Mirage fighter jets returned to a base in eastern France on Tuesday, said the army spokesperson Col Guillaume Vernet. “It marks the beginning of the return of French equipment stationed in [Chadian capital] N’Djamena,” Vernet said.
The withdrawal of the planes came only two weeks after the central African state announced it was ending a decades-long military cooperation with Paris.
Chad’s foreign minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, said in a statement at the time that the country “remains determined to maintain constructive relations with France in other areas of common interest, for the benefit of both peoples”. Until then, there were about 1,000 French troops stationed in the country.
On the same day, the Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, also requested the departure of French troops, saying it was “not compatible” with his country’s sovereignty.
Chad was long seen as the west’s last dependable ally in the Sahel as military juntas with increased disdain for France’s continued presence in the area installed themselves in power via a series of coups since 2020.
The military takeovers coincided with rising anti-French sentiment over the continuing real and perceived interference of Paris. In recent years, Burkina Faso and Mali, where foreign mercenaries have been reportedly on the rise in the face of jihadism, have either expelled French diplomats or in some cases, banned French media. French troops have left both countries and also Niger, where a coup on 30 July last year deposed the democratically elected Mohamed Bazoum, who was seen as being too friendly with Paris.
Chad has sought new partnerships elsewhere. Its leader, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, has embraced the United Arab Emirates and Russia openly since taking office after his father’s death in 2021.
The departure from Chad will end decades of French military presence in the Sahel region and ends direct French military operations against Islamist militants there.
Vernet said a calendar to draw down its operations would take several weeks for the two countries to finalise.
