Chad: French forces hand over second military base as part of gradual withdrawal
French forces handed over a second military base to Chadian authorities on Saturday, located in the eastern city of Abéché, as part of France’s gradual military withdrawal, scheduled to be completed on January 31.
By the way, the Chadian Minister of Armed Forces, General Isaac Malou Djamous, said during the handover ceremony of the air base that it was an important stage that would lead to the final and complete disengagement of the French army from the state of Chad.
The minister stressed that the final withdrawal date is inevitable, irreversible and non-negotiable, calling on Chadian defense and security forces to remain vigilant to confront any threat, three days after the bloody attack launched by a mysterious commando against the presidential palace in the capital, N’Djamena.
According to a French military official in the Sahel region, “90 soldiers out of 120 soldiers set off towards N’Djamena from the Abéché base, and the first convoy of equipment took the road towards the port of Douala on Friday evening”.
The representative of the French embassy in Chad, Fabien Talon, accompanied by General Pascal Ianni, who has been Commander-in-Chief of the French Army’s Africa Command since the summer of 2024, stressed that partnerships are developing, but solidarity remains between two sovereign states.
Before handing over the Abéché base, French forces had handed over the Afaya base in the north of the country to Chadian authorities last month, and a first batch of 120 soldiers left N’Djamena.
Chad announced at the end of last November the termination of security and military cooperation agreements with France that had been in place for decades, and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno considered these agreements to be completely outdated.
