The decision by Chad is another blow to what remained of France’s military influence in the troubled stretch of countries below the Sahara, where Russia’s influence has been growing.

France, Chad's former colonial ruler, had signed a revised version of the military and security agreement in 2019. Chad is just the latest nation in Central and West Africa to sever its security agreements with Paris.

"After 66 years since the independence of the Republic of Chad, it is time for Chad to assert its full sovereignty, and to redefine its strategic partnerships according to national priorities," Chad's Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement late Thursday.

Chad’s government says it is ending a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, to redefine the nation's sovereignty.

Chad is just the latest nation in Central and West Africa to sever its security agreements with Paris. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have all ended deals with France and other Western nations in recent years, turning to Russia for support instead.

The decision represents growing anti-French sentiment in Chad and the Sahel region, where France has been effectively expelled from several former colonies.View on euronews

Chad is the latest country in the troubled Sahel region to break with its former colonial power, a move that will likely result in the exit of some 1,000 French troops.

Chad has terminated its defense cooperation with France, leaving the Sahel, a region once dominated by French troops, void of its presence.

As Sahel nations move closer to Russia, Chad’s top diplomat says country is ‘very jealous of its sovereignty’.

One of the two sources, a French official with knowledge of Chadian affairs, said Chad's government appeared to have seen the French decision to more than halve its military prese