France “takes note” of Chad’s denunciation of the defense agreement

The country terminated the agreement that was in force on Thursday, taking the French foreign minister by surprise.

France said Friday November 29 “take note” of the termination of the military cooperation agreement between Chad and France announced Thursday evening by N'Djamena. The country “intends to continue the dialogue” with this Sahel country, announced the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “For almost two years, France has begun reflection and dialogue with its partners on the reconfiguration of its military systems in Africa”Christophe Lemoine reminded AFP.

“In this context, a close dialogue is being conducted with the Chadian authorities” Thursday, he added, putting an end to the silence which reigned around this surprise announcement which took the head of French diplomacy Jean-Noël Barrot by surprise. The latter had in fact barely left Chad, where he had come to visit the Sudanese refugee camps, his counterpart disseminated this information, causing astonishment.

Chad, which hosts around a thousand French soldiers, will respect “the terms provided for its termination, including the notice period” and will remain “open to constructive dialogue to explore new forms of partnership”Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a press release. The termination of the agreement has not yet been formally notified.