France’s army says it has started its military pullout from Chad

The French army claimed that two weeks after Chad announced it was terminating its defense cooperation agreement with Paris, France has begun its military withdrawal from Chad with the departure of two jets based in the capital, N’Djamena.

The government of Chad, a Western ally in the conflict with Islamist terrorists in the region, abruptly terminated the defense cooperation agreement on November 28.

Although the terms and conditions of the evacuation and whether French forces would stay in the central African nation at all have not yet been decided, the first Mirage airplanes returned to their base in eastern France on Tuesday.

According to Army spokesperson Colonel Guillaume Vernet, “It marks the beginning of the return of French equipment stationed in N’Djamena,” following the departure of two Mirage fighter jets from Chad.

Following military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger and the escalation of anti-French sentiment, France has already withdrawn its troops from those West African nations.
French military operations against Islamist extremists in the Sahel will come to an end with the withdrawal from Chad, ending decades of French military presence in the region.

Approximately 1,000 French soldiers remain in Chad. Vernet stated that the two nations would still need to work for a few weeks to develop a schedule to reduce its activities.

There were no signs. Although a report with recommendations on how France may lessen its military presence in Chad, Gabon, and Ivory Coast was presented to President Emmanuel Macron last month, Paris was informed in advance of Chad’s intention to terminate its defense collaboration.