President Deby: French troops will leave Chad by end of January
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby says all French military units will leave the African country by the end of January, weeks after the former French colony announced it was terminating its defense pact with Paris.
In a televised address to the nation, Deby set January 31 as the deadline for the complete withdrawal of French troops from the Central African nation, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
“I welcome the withdrawal of the first wave of French forces stationed in Chad. Other waves ... will follow until the complete withdrawal on Jan. 31, 2025,” he said.
“We have given priority to Chad’s supreme interests by adhering to the sovereignty of our country,” Deby stressed, adding that he was convinced that the decision was a response to a “common and legitimate aspiration” of the Chadian people.
Chad has been an ally for France in its alleged counterterrorism mission and one of the last countries where France kept a significant military presence. However, French forces have been driven out of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso in recent years after purportedly fighting Takfiri terrorists with local troops. These African countries have since aligned more with Russia.
In a surprise move on November 28, Chad announced the end of its defense agreement with France, calling it a turning point for the country and stressing that the move would allow the African nation to realign its strategic partnerships with its national priorities.
French troops began leaving Chad on December 10.
“Any fight for independence or sovereignty has its sacrifices and we owe them for future generations, just as our elders made sacrifices, to bequeath us a standing country,” the Chadian president further said.
The withdrawal from Chad will mark the end of decades of French military presence in the Sahel and conclude France’s so-called operations against Takfiri terrorists in the region.
The landlocked country sitting at the crossroads of North and Central Africa has been on edge since the death of longtime ruler Idriss Deby in 2021, after which his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power.
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