The security and political situation in Chad after the departure of French forces
By: Aussama Ahmat Mahamat 

The security situation appears turbulent and unstable in Chad after Chadian President Mohamed Idriss Deby decided to evacuate French forces and cancel the military cooperation agreement with France signed in 1976.

The Chadian government contacted the French military attaché on December 12, 2024 and asked it to evacuate all forces by February 2025. The French military attaché in Chad requested an extension of the withdrawal period until May 2025; but the Chadian government rejected the request and insisted on the necessity of French forces leaving the Republic of Chad by February 2025.

There will be a security vacuum, as some military analysts expect, because Chad relied in its alliances during the previous period on Russia, Turkey and Hungary, and will reformulate the military agreement signed with the United States of America in 1983 and amend it in line with its security and military interests.

French forces are stationed in very important camps in the north, east and south, and the Chadian government will take over all French barracks and military bases. The French military base in the Saidou region, located near the border with the Central African Republic, is important in the Chadian security file and the Chadian Air Force is scheduled to be directly under his command.

In return, the commander of Military Region No. 3 took over the military air base in Faya, and the commander of Military Region No. 2 will also take over the French military airport in the city of Abeche. These military bases will contribute to increasing the efficiency of the Chadian army and using them against the Chadian people in torture, killing and destruction.

The United Arab Emirates is trying to benefit from the Abeche military airport secretly with the Chadian government so that it can increase its military influence in the region, which leads to the continuation of the war in Sudan and the worsening of the situation in the refugee camps, and allows it to have a broader view of the details of the Sudanese file and enables it to exploit the resources enjoyed by eastern Chad and the gold coming from Sudan. This is because the city of Abeche is the third largest city in Chad and is better strategically and economically than the marginal city of Am Jers, which is located on the border with Sudan and which the Western media highlighted because of its support for the Rapid Support Forces.

The political situation in Chad

There is a political consensus in Chad on the necessity of the departure of French forces, because they were the source of creative chaos and obstructed all development projects and France contributed to fueling the civil war in Chad in 1979 and rejected the reform projects proposed by President Deby, but its absence will give the regime in Chad all means of torture, confiscation of freedoms and fighting national institutions.

The governor of Wadai State, Major General Bashir Ali Suleiman, participated in popular demonstrations demanding the departure of French forces in December 2024 and took to the streets with his military forces, which is the first official government position supporting the position of Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby regarding the departure of French forces from Chad.

In contrast, the Minister of Higher Education in Chad, Dr. Tom Erdimi, came out and stated to the media that France has never contributed to the formation of scientific cadres in Chad.

The Minister of Public Security and Immigration, Lieutenant General Ali Ahmed Agbash, allowed civil society organizations and associations to hold demonstrations in support of the Chadian President’s decision to withdraw French forces from Chad on December 6, 2024. There was little opposition from other political parties.