Chad and France rebuild limited military cooperation nearly 18 months after French withdrawal
Chad has restored a scaled-back military partnership with France less than two years after ending a defence agreement that had sustained a continuous French military presence for 65 years.
In November 2024, Chad’s government terminated the defence cooperation accord. Approximately 1,000 French troops completed their withdrawal by 31 January 2025, handing over the final base (Sergent-Chef Adji Kosseï in N’Djamena). The departure closed a presence that dated to independence in 1960
After exploring alternative security partnerships with Russia, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates—with limited operational results—Chadian authorities began discreet talks with Paris. French officers visited Chad in April 2026 to assess needs. The first French personnel returned that same month.
The new arrangement centres on training, intelligence support and limited, on-demand deployments. It is designed to assist Chadian forces confronting Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province in the Lake Chad Basin, as well as security pressures along the eastern border with Sudan. France has no plans to re-establish permanent bases. Analysts describe the return as cautious and reversible, dependent on ongoing Chadian consent.
High-level political signals preceded the military steps. Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Mahamat Idriss Déby met in Paris in January 2026 and again in Nairobi in May 2026, publicly endorsing a revitalised partnership based on mutual respect. Defence ministers held talks on the margins of the Eurosatory exhibition in June 2026.
The shift follows France’s earlier forced departures from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Paris has moved away from large permanent garrisons across the Sahel toward smaller, partner-requested missions focused on capacity-building and intelligence. Chad’s decision to reopen limited cooperation reflects both immediate security pressures and the practical constraints of the alternatives it tested after 2024.