Un anno dopo essere stata espulsa, la Francia torna in Ciad

>Apart from an old emblem of Operation Barkhane, its paint peeling off a wall, it is difficult to see any trace of the former French presence at the Adji-Kosseï air base, the military zone of N’Djamena airport. On this sunny mid-February day, a Russian crew and Chadian soldiers quietly disembark a few passengers from a troop transport plane. Further away, on the tarmac, men in fatigues bustle between two military helicopters emblazoned with the blue, yellow and red Chadian cockade. For decades, this vast area has been one of the French army’s main permanent bases in Africa. It is one of its strongholds, serving as a hub for its external operations on the continent – such as ‘Barkhane’, carried out across five Sahel countries between 2014 and 2024. This historic French military presence in Chad, imposed in 1900 by a colonial expedition and perpetuated despite the country’s independence in 1960, came to an end on 30 January 2025. On that day, the last contingent of some 1,000 French soldiers previously based in the country left under cover of darkness, after France was abruptly ordered to withdraw them by President Mahamat Idriss Déby. One year later, the return of French soldiers to N’Djamena, a scenario that seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago, now appears possible once again. On 29 January, the Chadian marshal was received by Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. The two men, who had been at odds since the French army’s withdrawal from Chad, had not seen each other since the last Francophonie Summit, held in early October 2024 in Paris and Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne).

>First breakthrough

>The general consensus is that their reunion went well overall. ‘They spoke frankly to each other. The French must now show more consideration and less arrogance than before,’ said a Chadian minister who wished to remain anonymous. During this hour-long meeting, carefully prepared in advance by their diplomatic teams, they agreed to transform – and publicly acknowledge – their bilateral cooperation, giving it a more economic and social focus than a security one. A France-Chad business forum, organised with Medef International, is scheduled to take place in Paris in April. Security issues have not been ignored, however. And for good reason: they remain crucial for Chad, a country surrounded by fragile neighbours, one of which, Sudan, is embroiled in a devastating civil war that is spilling over into its territory. In this unstable regional environment, Mahamat Idriss Déby is seeking reliable partners. With Emmanuel Macron, the possibility was therefore raised that France could provide intelligence support and training to the Chadian forces. This would, in fact, mean a return of French troops to Chad. “We have intelligence and surveillance needs. If France is willing to provide them – and it seems to be – so much the better. If it is not, we will look elsewhere,” the minister continued. A rift between the two countries first emerged in July 2024, following the announcement of a preliminary investigation by the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office into the embezzlement of public funds and concealment of assets by Mahamat Idriss Déby, who had been officially elected president two months earlier. According to Mediapart, this investigation into suspected ill-gotten gains concerns more than €900,000 spent in Paris on luxury clothing, as well as the Déby family’s real estate assets in France, estimated at around €30 million.

>A slap in the face

>‘The president took this matter very badly. He is a foreign head of state, not a French sub-prefect. On what grounds can the French justice system open an investigation against him?’ said a senior officer close to President Déby, visibly annoyed. In this tense climate, Jean-Noël Barrot’s visit to N’Djamena on 27 November 2024 acted as a trigger. According to several official Chadian sources, the French Foreign Minister, who was on a tour of the continent at the time, imposed himself rather than being invited, on the eve of the Republic’s proclamation day. He was nevertheless received by Mahamat Idriss Déby, with whom exchanges were cold. A few hours later, Mr Barrot’s jet had just taken off from N’Djamena when the Chadian government announced the termination of defence agreements with France and the expulsion of its soldiers based in the country. It was a slap in the face that no one on the French side, starting with the foreign minister on the ground, had seen coming. In Paris, this decision, but above all the way in which it was implemented, sparked anger. Under pressure, French soldiers were forced to pack their bags in a hurry, in less than three months. In mid-March 2025, a month and a half after their departure, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally (RN), visited Chad. She was invited by Mahamat Idriss Déby to his family stronghold of Amdjarass, in the desert north-east of the country.

Chad’s been quietly supporting the massacre in Darfur. Fuck Déby.

You couldn’t live with your own failures. Where did that bring you? Back to me.

Giga chad