France has officially begun withdrawing its military forces from Chad, with two Mirage fighter jets leaving the capital, N’Djamena, marking the first step in an anticipated pullback of French troops from the Sahel region.
This move comes two weeks after Chad announced the end of its defence cooperation agreement with Paris.
According to Reuters, the departure of the fighter jets from Chad follows a dramatic shift in the region, as the Chadian government ended its defence pact with France on November 28.
This decision follows similar military withdrawals by France from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where anti-French sentiment and recent military coups have significantly altered the political landscape.
France still maintains a military presence in Chad, with around 1,000 troops stationed in the country, but the timeline for the full withdrawal of French forces has yet to be finalised.
Terms and conditions of the withdrawal and whether any French troops will remain in the central African country altogether have yet to be agreed but on Tuesday, the first Mirage warplanes returned to their base in eastern France.
French Army spokesperson Colonel Guillaume Vernet confirmed that the departure of the warplanes marks the beginning of the process of repatriating military equipment.
Vernet added that further details on the withdrawal process would be agreed upon in the coming weeks.
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“It marks the beginning of the return of French equipment stationed in N’Djamena,” he said.
Chad’s Army spokesman, Chanane Acheikh, confirmed the departure of the French warplanes and said that the public would be kept informed on the withdrawal “until the definitive departure of the (French) forces.”