Chad's President Field Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby says this week’s departure of the last French troops from the central African state signals a new dawn for Chad

In November 2024, Chad announced the end of its security and defence cooperation agreement with France. On December 10, some French troops began to leave Chad. On December 31, 2024, Mahamat Deby announced the definitive withdrawal of French troops from the country by January 31, 2025.

France officially ended its decades-long military presence in Chad, its last stronghold in the West African region. The shift is part of a larger movement to push France out of the area.

France handed over its last military base in Chad to local authorities on Thursday, two months after the former French colony in central Africa broke off its defense cooperation agreement with Paris.

The French army has handed over its last base in Chad in a military ceremony in the capital N'Djamena, marking the end of French military presence in the country. Once a key link in France's military presence in Africa,