January 30, Sahel Region: The French army has handed over its last base in Chad in a military ceremony in the capital N’Djamena, marking the end of the French military presence in the country. Once a key link in France’s military presence in Africa, Chad was its last foothold in the wider Sahel region after the forced withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The French army has handed over its last base in Chad in a military ceremony in the capital N’Djamena, the general staff of both countries announced Thursday.
The central African country in late November abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial ruler, and French troops began leaving the country in late December.
Thursday’s handover of the Kossei base marks the end of France’s military presence in the African country “according to the wishes of the high authorities” in N’Djamena, a statement from the Chadian high command said. “The Kossei camp was handed over today to the Chadian army,” said Colonel Guillaume Vernet, spokesman for the armed forces’ general staff in Paris.
French troops withdrew from their Faya-Largeau base in the north of the country on December 26, and on January 11 pulled out of a second base at Abeche. During the handover in Abeche, Chadian authorities declared that a January 31 deadline for the French withdrawal from the country was “non-negotiable”.
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