FRANCE BEGINS MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM CHAD-The First Mirage Warplanes have returned to Base in Eastern France
France has started the withdrawal of its military from Chad with the departure of two warplanes that were based in the capital N’Djamena, the French army said, two weeks after Chad ended its defense cooperation pact with Paris on Nov 28.
Chad’s Army spokesman, Chanane Issakha Acheikh, confirmed the departure of the French warplanes, adding that the public would be kept informed on the withdrawal “until the definitive departure of the (French) forces.”
The first Mirage warplanes have returned to their base in eastern France, although terms and conditions of the withdrawal are yet to be communicated.
President Emmanuel Macron had earlier delivered a report last month containing proposals on how France could reduce its military presence in Chad, Gabon and Ivory Coast.
France has already pulled its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military coups in the West African countries.
The departure from Chad will end decades of French military presence in the Sahel region, ending direct French military operations there.
