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Barely two weeks after Chad announced the end of its military cooperation pact with France, the first phase of the withdrawal has begun.
The French army confirmed that two Mirage warplanes, previously based in N’Djamena, have left the capital, marking the start of the pullout process, AFP reports.
“This marks the beginning of the return of French equipment stationed in N’Djamena,” stated Colonel Guillaume Vernet, a French Army spokesperson, after the departure of the jets.
While the withdrawal process has started, the final details, including whether any French troops will remain in Chad, are still under discussion.
On November 28, Chad made a surprise decision to terminate the defence cooperation pact with France, an unexpected move that ended decades of French military involvement in the country.
This development follows France’s withdrawal from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, due to military coups and growing anti-French sentiment in the region.
With around 1,000 French troops still stationed in Chad, Colonel Vernet noted that it would take several more weeks to finalise a timeline for the full withdrawal.
The departure will end direct French military operations against Islamist militants in the Sahel region.
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