Chad has officially begun the process of removing French military forces, with around 100 French soldiers departing the Abeche base in the country’s east on Saturday. This marks a key step in the withdrawal agreement between the two nations.
According to a statement from the Chadian Armed Forces, January 11, 2025, will be remembered as the day French forces vacated the base, following a formal handover ceremony attended by the Minister of Armed Forces, Veterans, and War Victims. The ceremony symbolizes the end of a long-standing French military presence in Chad, which had been a strategic location for French operations in the Sahel region.
The next phase of the pullout will focus on the Sergeant Adji Kossei base in the capital city of N’Djamena, with all French troops set to leave by January 31, 2025. This follows a six-week deadline imposed by the Chadian government in November 2024, which required France to remove 1,000 soldiers and their equipment.
Chad’s decision to end its military cooperation with France came after the Chadian government officially denounced the bilateral military agreements, originally signed in 1978 and revised in 2019. President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno called these agreements “obsolete,” arguing that they provided “no added value” to the country’s security strategy. This marks a significant departure from Chad’s historical relationship with France, which has been a prominent military partner in the region.
Chad now stands as the last country in the Sahel to host French military units, following France’s withdrawal from neighboring Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Over the past few years, France’s military presence in Africa has faced increasing pushback, reflecting a broader decline in the former colonial power’s influence across the continent.
The pullout from Chad is part of a broader trend in the region. In December 2024, Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced plans for all foreign troops to leave by 2025, with around 350 French soldiers currently stationed in the country. Additionally, on January 1, Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara confirmed that French troops would depart later this month.
This growing trend of military withdrawals and shifting alliances underscores the evolving political landscape in Africa, with countries increasingly seeking to assert their sovereignty and reduce reliance on former colonial powers for security matters.