Earth Science News
AFRICA NEWS
France hands over second army base in Chad amid withdrawal
France hands over second army base in Chad amid withdrawal
by AFP Staff Writers
Abeche, Chad (AFP) Jan 11, 2025

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".

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

The planes also provided air support that proved crucial on several occasions in stopping rebels moving to seize power.

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.

- 'Friendship remains' -

"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, one of the poorest in the world, was the last Sahel nation to host French troops.

Paris at one point had deployed more than 5,000 soldiers as part of its anti-jihadist Barkhane operation.

Chad had been a key link in France's military presence in Africa and its last foothold in the wider Sahel region after the forced 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, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation have yet to bear concrete results.

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.

Longtime ruler Idriss Deby Itno had received support from the French army to quell rebel offensives in 2008 and 2019.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Russia eyes Libya to replace Syria as Africa launchpad
Paris (AFP) Jan 11, 2025
The fall of Russian ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria has disrupted the Kremlin's strategy not only for the Mediterranean but also for Africa, pushing it to focus on Libya as a potential foothold, experts say. Russia runs a military port and an air base on the Syrian coast, designed to facilitate its operations in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa, especially the Sahel, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. However, this model is in jeopardy with the abrupt departure of t ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
Humanity has opened 'Pandora's box of ills,' UN chief warns

Canadian insurers face record costs from 2024 extreme weather

'Afraid to live here': urban Bolivia's death-defying homes

Survivors count the mental cost of Los Angeles fires

AFRICA NEWS
Researchers develop breakthrough one-step flame retardant for cotton textiles

New filter captures and recycles aluminum from manufacturing waste

Study uncovers gold's journey from Earth's mantle to surface

Mexico hails $5 bn Amazon investment in face of Trump threats

AFRICA NEWS
Quake-stricken Vanuatu heads to polls in snap election

Kazakhstan says part of Aral Sea has nearly doubled in volume

Kazakhstan says northern Aral Sea now has nearly 50% more water

Tunisian rehab barge offers hope for vulnerable sea turtles

AFRICA NEWS
Historic drilling campaign reaches more than 1.2-million-year-old ice

2024 was hottest year on record for Norway's Arctic

Antarctic sea ice rebounds from record lows: US scientists

Decline in Arctic ice pressure ridges revealed by long-term study

AFRICA NEWS
Crop switching boosts climate resilience in Chinese agriculture

Poland ramps up controls amid foot-and-mouth outbreak in Germany

Herbicide under US scrutiny over potential Parkinson's link

Climate fee on food could cut greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and support social equity

AFRICA NEWS
Japan panel says 'megaquake' probability up to 82%

Thousands to be evacuated after Mount Ibu eruption

Earthquake swarm under large Iceland volcano

Indonesian rescuers evacuating thousands after volcano erupts

AFRICA NEWS
Clashes in eastern DR Congo wound dozens and displaces thousands

UN 'shocked' by reports of 'ethnically targeted killings' in Sudan

Chinese men jailed in east DR Congo over gold bars

France hands over second army base in Chad amid withdrawal

AFRICA NEWS
CES tech looks to help world's aging population

Iraqi archaeologists piece together ancient treasures ravaged by IS

Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold

Travelers consider weight-based airfares for sustainable flights

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.