MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The frequent, unfettered movements of French military personnel within Chad are a source of anxiety and irritation for the local population, and serve to fuel various rumors, the Russian embassy in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena told TASS.
"Indeed, the French troops move about freely and often in Chad, which causes a certain level of anxiety among the population and gives rise to many rumors," the Russian embassy said.
According to the diplomatic mission, an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of security in the Sahel is currently in force between France and Chad, which was concluded on July 19, 2014 in connection with Operation Barkhane in the region. Under the agreement, a French military base of the same name was set up in the country’s capital, N'Djamena.
"This agreement authorizes the French armed forces to use ground and air assets on the territory of Chad to conduct military operations both inside the country with the participation of the Chadian national armed forces (in this case, the Chadian state authorities must either request it or be informed about such actions) and outside the country in case of the pursuit of terrorists in the space of the G5 Sahel community (Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Chad - TASS)," the Russian embassy specified.
In this connection, the embassy also commented on press reports that France is considering redeploying individual units from Niger, where a military coup took place in July, to Chad's second-largest city, Moundou. The embassy pointed out that there is no French military base in Moundou, only in N'Djamena, Abeche and Faya. However, there is a theoretical possibility of using the airport for relocation purposes.
However, the Russian diplomats pointed out that such reports have appeared only in a very limited number of media outlets and there are no other corroborating sources in the Chadian press. "The embassy has no further information, but we continue to monitor the situation in neighboring Niger and Sudan," the diplomats concluded.
French troops in Africa
France launched Operation Barkhane in August 2014 to combat Islamist groups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. It was a continuation of Operation Serval, which was conducted in Mali from 2013 to 2014. According to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, more than 5,000 troops are involved in Operation Barkhane. French losses in the two operations in the Sahel reached 58 servicemen.
At the end of 2021, the government of Mali, where the main forces of the limited French contingent were concentrated, asked Paris to withdraw them from the African country as soon as possible. This demand was met in August 2022. Most of the troops were transferred to neighboring Niger, where a military coup took place on July 26, 2023. The Nigerien rebels, in turn, demanded the withdrawal of French troops the following month.
Niamey, the capital of Niger, hosts a large French air base, housing a contingent of about 1,500 servicemen. Military units from Germany, Italy and the US are also stationed in Niger. The number of American troops in Niger exceeds 1,000.