(AP) โ Chadโs government is ending a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, to redefine the nationโs sovereignty.
The decision marks a historic turning point after the Central African nation gained independence more than six decades ago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement Thursday.
It said the decision to end the agreement would allow Chad to redefine its strategic partnerships in line with national priorities. There was no immediate response from Franceโs government.
Chad was one of the last countries in the region in which France maintained a large military presence, having been ousted in recent years from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso after years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Those countries have inched closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel, the vast expanse below the Sahara desert.
Chadโs interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, seized power after his father, who ran the country for more than three decades, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced it was extending the 18-month transition for two more years, whichย led to protestsย across the country.
Analysts say Deby has mistrusted France for a while, and the decision creates an opportunity for other nations, notably Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
โDeby has been seeking to diversify its security partnerships away from exclusive deals. He doesnโt trust (French President Emmanuel) Macron. โฆ He can also not ignore widespread anti-French sentiment,โ said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at Konrad Adenauer foundation in Mali.
France has maintained about 1,000 troops in Chad, and the statement didnโt specify when they have to leave.
Chad said the decision in no way calls into question the countriesโ historical ties and that it wants to maintain relations in other areas of common interest.
France still has 350 troops in Senegal, another former colony, which remains a security partner in the region. But the French military presence there also appears to be under threat.
President Bassirou Diomaye Fayeย of Senegal said that it was โobviousโ that soon there wonโt be any French soldiers on Senegalese soil, in an interview with Le Monde which was published hours after the declaration by Chadian authorities. Faye added that the relationship with the former colonizer had to be redefined.
โItโs not because the French have been there since the slavery period that itโs impossible to do otherwise,โ he said.
