Chad’s president has said his country does not plan to shift allegiance to another foreign ally after breaking off military cooperation with France, at a time when other states in the region are strengthening ties with Russia.
General Mahamat Idriss Deby spoke after Thursday’s announcement that Chad was scrapping a defence accord with the former colonial power, removing France’s last foothold in the Sahel region.
“Chad is in no way seeking to replace one power with another, much less intending to change masters,” Deby told reporters on Sunday.
The move aimed “to refocus our partnership with France on other areas that will have a more positive impact on our respective people’s daily lives,” Deby said.
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He said Chad’s military accords with France had become “obsolete” and did not match the “political and strategic realities of our time”.