N'DJAMENA, Nov 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Chad announced Thursday that it was
ending military cooperation with former colonial power France, just hours
after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

"The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international
opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with
the French republic," foreign minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a
statement on Facebook.

Chad is a key link in France's military presence in Africa, constituting
Paris's last foothold in the Sahel after the forced withdrawal of its troops
from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

"This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere," Koulamallah, whose
country still hosts around a thousand French troops, told AFP.

At a press briefing after a meeting between President Mahamat Idriss Deby and
Barrot, Koulamallah called France "an essential partner" but added it "must
now also consider that Chad has grown up, matured and is a sovereign state
that is very jealous of its sovereignty".

Barrot, who arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday evening, could not immediately be
reached for comment.

- 'Historic turning point'-

Chad is the last Sahel country to host French troops.

It has been led by Deby since 2021, when his father Idriss Deby Itno was
killed by rebels after 30 years in power.

The elder Deby frequently relied on French military support to fend off rebel
offensives, including in 2008 and 2019.

The landlocked nation faces a potent threat from Boko Haram and other
militant groups.

It borders the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger, all of which
host Russian paramilitary forces from the Wagner group.

Deby has sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to
strengthen economic cooperation with Russia have yet to bear concrete
results.

Koulamallah called the decision to end military cooperation a "historic
turning point", adding it was made after "in-depth analysis".

"Chad, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, undertakes to
respect the terms laid down for its termination, including the notice
period", he said in the statement, which did not give a date for the
withdrawal of French troops.

The announcement comes just days after Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye
Faye indicated in an interview with AFP that France should close its military
bases in that country.

"Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty
does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country," Faye
told AFP on Thursday.