N’Djamena, Chad – France officially handed over its last military base in Chad on Thursday, marking a historic withdrawal of its armed forces from the country and the broader Sahel region, nearly 65 years after decolonization.

“The transfer of the Sergent Adij Kossei base in N’Djamena marks the definitive end of France’s military presence in Chad, in line with the wishes of the country’s highest authorities,” the Chadian military stated in a communiqué ahead of an official ceremony scheduled for Friday. The move brings an end to a military presence dating back to the arrival of French colonial troops in 1900.

“The Kossei camp was handed over today (Thursday) to the Chadian army,” confirmed French military spokesperson Colonel Guillaume Vernet in Paris. He added that personnel and combat equipment had been repatriated to France, with only containers remaining, which will be transported by land and sea through private contractors.

Chad was France’s last military foothold in the Sahel, where at its peak, Paris deployed more than 5,000 troops as part of the anti-jihadist Operation Barkhane, which was officially ended in late November 2022.

Since then, four other former French colonies—Niger, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Burkina Faso—have ordered France to withdraw its troops from their territories, shifting closer to Moscow for security partnerships.

Chad, which had hosted around 1,000 French troops, unexpectedly announced in late November its decision to terminate military agreements with France.

“Final Departure”

During the transfer of another French base in Chad, located in Abéché, Chadian authorities had declared that January 31 was a “mandatory,” “irreversible,” and “non-negotiable” deadline for the “final departure of French forces.” French troops had remained in Chad since its independence in 1960.

According to Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, who has ruled since taking over from his late father in 2021, military cooperation agreements with France had become “completely obsolete” given the “political and geostrategic realities of our time.”

Despite the traditionally close ties between the Chadian government and the French military, the decision to end France’s presence was widely celebrated across the country. Two public demonstrations under the slogan “Chad hooray, France out” saw hundreds of young people march in N’Djamena and Abéché.

Meanwhile, Senegal is also negotiating the withdrawal of French troops by the end of 2025. France is simultaneously reducing its military presence in Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon as part of a broader restructuring of its West and Central African military deployments.

However, France’s base in Djibouti, which hosts 1,500 personnel, remains unaffected by the drawdown. Paris intends to maintain it as a “launch point” for future military operations in Africa following its forced withdrawal from the Sahel.

A Shifting Political Landscape

Chad, a vast, landlocked, and impoverished Sahelian nation, has been undergoing a political transition since the 2021 coup that brought General Déby to power. His leadership was later legitimized by a contested presidential election in April 2024, followed by legislative elections, which were boycotted by the opposition and further solidified his rule.

The country continues to face multiple security challenges, including attacks by the jihadist group Boko Haram in the northwest and a growing refugee crisis due to conflict in neighboring Sudan. Chad has also repeatedly denied allegations of interference in Sudan’s internal affairs.

On January 8, a shooting outside the presidential palace in N’Djamena, described by the government as an “attack” by “ill-intentioned individuals” aiming to “eliminate” the head of state, resulted in 20 deaths—18 attackers and two presidential guards.

Across Chad, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron criticizing the “ingratitude” of African nations regarding France’s military interventions against jihadist groups in the Sahel have sparked widespread indignation.