France hands over second army base in Chad

France on Saturday handed over its second army base in Chad as part of an agreement with the country's authorities to withdraw its military forces.

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.

"Today... marks the handover of the Abeche base," Defence Minister Issaka Malloua Djamouss said during an official ceremony.

He called it a key step "leading to the final and total withdrawal of this army in our country."

'Irreversible' deadline

Around 100 troops left the Abeche base on Saturday, after equipment convoys departed on Friday evening.

The French army had around 1,000 personnel in Chad.

Djamouss added that the January 31 deadline for France to remove forces for good was "imperative", "irreversible" and "non-negotiable".

French soldiers and fighter aircraft have been stationed in Chad almost continuously since the country's independence in 1960, "helping to train the Chadian military."

'Partnerships evolve'

Mid-December, the jets were the first to go, followed by a contingent of 120 soldiers and the handover of the Faya base in northern Chad.

"Partnerships evolve but the friendship remains between our two nations, as does the solidarity between two sovereign nations that will continue to move forward side by side as they always have," French Embassy representative Fabien Talon said at the event.

The Central African country was the last Sahel nation to host French troops.

Other Sahel countries push out French troops

Chad had been a key link in France's military presence in Africa and its last foothold in the wider Sahel region after the withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups.

The military authorities in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have pivoted towards Russia in recent years.

Chad's leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has also sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months.

Deby described the agreement as "completely obsolete" and no longer aligned with the "political and geostrategic realities of our time."

His election in May brought an end to a three-year political transition triggered by his father's death in clashes with rebels in 2021.

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