Just hours after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Chad, the former colonial power declared Thursday that it was terminating military cooperation with France.
“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 serves as Paris’s final bastion in the Sahel following the forced evacuation of its forces from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, making it a crucial component of France’s military presence in Africa.
Koulamallah told AFP, “This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere,” as his nation continues to house about a thousand French troops.
Koulamallah referred to France as “an essential partner” during a press conference following a meeting between President Mahamat Idriss Deby and Barrot, but said that Paris “must now also consider that Chad has grown up, matured, and is a sovereign state that is very jealous of its sovereignty.”
Since arriving in Ethiopia on Thursday night, Barrot was not immediately available for comment.
