(AFP) – France began withdrawing its soldiers from Chad on Friday, the Chadian Defense Ministry announced, after N'Djamena abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial power last month.
Ten days after French fighter jets left the Sahel country for good, the ministry announced in a statement on Facebook that a force of 120 soldiers departed for France from the capital's military airport.
Chad was a key link in France's military presence in Africa and its last foothold in the wider Sahel region, following the forced withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following a series of military coups.
However, on November 28, it announced its decision to end the defense agreement with Paris, which has been in place since independence in 1960.
“At noon, 120 French soldiers took off from N'Djamena military airport aboard an Airbus A330 Phoenix MRTT,” the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.
The French military, which has about 1,000 personnel in the country, did not immediately comment on the announcement.
The French soldiers' departure on Friday took place in the presence of Chadian military authorities, and the statement said the move “demonstrates the strength of cooperation between the two countries in the security field.”
– Changing alliances –
Since independence in 1960, French soldiers and fighter jets have been stationed in Chad almost continuously, helping to train the Chadian military.
These aircraft provided air support and played a key role on several occasions in deterring rebel groups attempting to seize power.
Chad's decision to sever military ties with France was made just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault, whose delegation appeared unaware of the impending move.
The Central African nation was the last Sahel nation to accept French troops.
The decision also came shortly after Senegal's President Bashir Diomai Fay said in an interview with AFP that France should close military bases in the West African country.
According to a statement from Chad's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military equipment is scheduled to depart from Chad on a scheduled Antonov 124 aircraft in the coming days.
Military vehicles from three bases in France will also be repatriated to France via the Cameroonian port of Douala, it added.
Military authorities in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have tilted toward Russia in recent years.
Chad's leader, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, has also sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation have yet to yield concrete results.
Chad's president previously said the termination of the defense pact “didn't mean in any way a refusal of international cooperation or a questioning of diplomatic relations with France.”
Paris has been preparing for what it calls a “realignment” of military relations for years after the forced withdrawal of troops from the West African nation.
