France Completes First Troop Withdrawal from Chad Amid Strained Ties
France has begun withdrawing its troops from Chad after N’Djamena abruptly decided to end a decades-long defense agreement with the former colonial power. The first batch of 120 French soldiers has left the Central African country, marking a symbolic step in the breakdown of military ties between France and Chad. This follows Chad’s announcement in November that it was terminating a 1960 defense agreement that had defined military cooperation between the two countries for decades. Amid a military coup and rising anti-French sentiment, France withdrew its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which had been France’s last stronghold in the Sahel. While Chad’s leader, General Mohamed Idriss Deby Itno, has stressed that N’Djamena will maintain international cooperation with Paris, the country has sought closer ties with Russia. France’s withdrawal marks a major shift in its influence in Africa and highlights the changing geopolitical landscape in the region.
source: world
