GNV News December 10, 2024

On November 28, 2024, Chad’s foreign minister announced an end to military cooperation with its former colonial ruler, France. This follows the forced withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in the Sahel region. Chad had been France’s last foothold in the area.

In Chad, after former President Idriss Déby was killed in fighting with rebel forces in 2021, his son, Mahamat Déby, became head of the military regime. However, this is said to have occurred with backing from France, and dissatisfaction among the opposition and the public toward the government and France was growing. Moreover, not only in Chad but across the Sahel as a whole, despite the presence of French troops, conflict did not stabilize; it worsened. Although France wielded significant influence, this relationship did not necessarily bring clear benefits to Chad. The Chadian foreign minister said it was “time to restore Chad’s full sovereignty,” and drew a line under the relationship. That said, while Chad is terminating its military pact with France, it appears to wish to maintain ties, and is also expected to pursue closer relations with Russia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Meanwhile, Senegal, also located in the Sahel region, said that all French military bases in the country should be closed. The Senegalese president was elected on a platform of reducing foreign influence and asserting national sovereignty. There is also the lingering legacy of a massacre carried out by French troops in Senegal during the colonial era in 1944.

Given the magnitude of France’s impact on West Africa, dissatisfaction with the French military presence has been mounting, and some suggest this has accelerated France’s series of retreats in the region.

Learn more about international relations in the Sahel→ “The changing international relations of West Africa”

Learn more about Chad’s historical background→ “Chad: Is it moving toward stability and development?”

Chad, French Air Force arriving at N’Djamena Airport (Photo: Frogfoot / Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0])