Chad Orders France to Pull Out its Armed Forces
Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Tokyo
President Mhamat Idriss Deby of Chad notified France to pull its armed forces out of the country. This follows other regional nations who also told France that they seek to control their destiny.
In late October, at least 40 Chadian forces were killed by Islamists. Hence, similar to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, instability and terrorism continue to blight nations in the environs of the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin.
Conflicts (some overlap, like Boko Haram Islamists who originated in Nigeria) exist throughout a vast region. This concerns the neighboring nations of the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan (many refugees from Sudan have fled to Chad). Indeed, terrorists utilize northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin – and many border faultlines.
Voice of America reports, “Deby said military ties with France that have existed for close to 65 years are in no way helping to rescue Chad from what he calls growing security challenges, including terrorism and armed conflicts.”
The leader of Chad said relations with other nations would be based on reciprocal relations where mutual respect existed. Hence, Chad is seeking closer ties with China, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Arab Emirates, and other nations.
Ulf Laessing (Director of the Sahel Programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali) said, “Chad was the aircraft carrier of the French army, its logistical headquarters. If Chad doesn’t exist, the French army will have a huge problem to keep running its other operations.”
Senegal is also likely to tell France to send their small contingent of soldiers back home.
Reuters reports, “France has already pulled its soldiers out from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, following military coups in those West African countries and spreading anti-French sentiment.”
The Foreign Minister of Chad (Abderaman Koulamallah) said it was essential for Chad to “assert its full sovereignty.”
Koulamallah indicated that Chad seeks to maintain cordial relations with France – however, from strength.
Koulamallah said the nation of France was an “essential partner.” However, Chad must “redefine its strategic partnerships according to national priorities.”
The BBC reports, “France currently has about 1,000 troops in the Central African country providing intelligence and logistical assistance to the Chadian military from their bases, including in the capital N’Djamena.”
AP News reports, “Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, seized power after his father, who ran the country for more than three decades, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced it was extending the 18-month transition for two more years, which led to protests across the country.”
Currently, the armed forces of Chad are engaged in Operation Haskanite. This is aimed at crushing and dislodging Boko Haram Islamists from the environs of Lade Chad.
The nation of Chad needs genuine international support in its fight against terrorist forces that seek a weakened region concerning the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel region.
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi and her website – Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK
