French military base in Chad officially handed over to N’Djamena, after end of defence agreement

Less than a month after N’Djamena cut its defence cooperation agreement with Paris, a French army base has been handed over to the Chadian army.

According to a local source, French troops left the base in Faya and headed to the capital, around 780km southwest. The troops will then travel back to France in the coming weeks.

A French military official stated that the handover was in line with the schedule organised with N’Djamena. Officials in Chad added that they would keep the public up to date regarding other bases to be handed over.

Before the defence agreement ended, France had around 1,000 troops in the Central African country. They gave intelligence and logistical help to the Chadian army.

Explaining the reasoning behind the end of the pact, Chad’s Foreign Minister had argued that it was time for his nation to “assert its full sovereignty”.

The handing over of the base comes days ahead of the country’s legislative, provincial and local elections.