On 30 January, Chad announced the completion of the phased withdrawal of French troops from the Central African country, following the full handover of their last base. N’Djamena had set a 31 January deadline.
Chad becomes the fourth African country to be free of France’s military after a six-decade-plus presence (following Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger).
Ivory Coast and Senegal also recently ordered the French army to leave their lands – with Dakar confirming the withdrawal from its territory would happen by the end of 2025.
For decades, France justified its military presence under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism’ and ‘stability.’ But amid rising anti-colonial sentiment directed at Paris in francophone Africa, it’s widely felt that the real agenda had little to do with securing Africans. So which county will be next to break free?
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/chad-france-military-bases-withdrawal-bd1c1e5a075f3a4b0dba01801c081728
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250130-france-hands-over-last-base-in-chad-amid-withdrawal
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/29/chad-ends-military-cooperation-with-france
https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2023-08-20-former-french-colonies-are-still-paying-a-colonial-tax/
https://theconversation.com/what-france-loses-by-closing-its-military-bases-in-africa-247898