Before and after the Battle of N'Djamena, French airplanes participated in reconnaissance missions to determine the scope of Sudanese involvement. The French forces also played a small but important part in the battle of N'Djamena, where they provided logistical support to the government but without taking sides in the fighting. They also provided the Chadian army with intelligence on the enemy's movements, and fired warning shots near the rebel column. In 2006, President Déby responded to increasing instability by threatening to expel the 200,000 Sudanese Fur refugees: "If after June we can't guarantee the security of our citizens and the refugees, then it is up to the international community to find another country to shelter these refugees". On 1 August 2014, Operation Épervier was replaced by Operation Barkhane. References External links French Ministry of Defence, Elements francais au Tchad / French Forces Chad, accessed September 2008 Opération Epervier (in French) Relief in N'Djamena 1986 in Chad Battles of the Chadian–Libyan conflict Military history of Chad Military history of Libya Military operations involving France