France has initiated the withdrawal of its military forces from Chad, starting with the departure of two Mirage fighter jets stationed in the capital, N’Djamena, the French army announced on Tuesday. The move follows Chad’s decision two weeks ago to terminate its defence cooperation agreement with Paris.
The unexpected announcement by Chad’s government on Nov. 28 marked a significant shift, as the country has been a longstanding Western ally in countering Islamist militancy across the region.
The French withdrawal’s terms are yet to be finalised, including whether any troops will remain in Chad. For now, the first jets have returned to their base in eastern France. “This marks the beginning of the repatriation of French military assets from N’Djamena,” said Army spokesperson Colonel Guillaume Vernet.
France, which has already exited Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger due to military coups and growing anti-French sentiment, is now concluding its decades-long military presence in the Sahel. This withdrawal signals the end of direct French military operations against Islamist militants in the region.
Currently, around 1,000 French troops remain in Chad. Vernet noted that a detailed schedule for the drawdown is still under discussion and could take weeks to finalise.
Reports suggest Chad’s decision may have caught Paris off guard. Last month, a French envoy to President Emmanuel Macron delivered a report proposing reductions in France’s military footprint in Chad, Gabon, and Ivory Coast, indicating possible strategic recalibrations were already under consideration.
