Less than two years after ending a defence agreement that brought to a close 65 years of French military presence, Chad is rebuilding security ties with France, signalling a significant shift in the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape of the Sahel.
The renewed engagement marks a striking reversal after France was forced to withdraw its troops from Chad in early 2025, following similar exits from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military-led governments severed defence ties with Paris and turned to new security partners, including Russia.
French and Chadian officials have spent recent months quietly negotiating a new security partnership after a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno in Paris in January. Rather than restoring France’s former military footprint, discussions have centred on a smaller, less visible model of cooperation focused on training, intelligence sharing, air support and technical assistance.
When Chad terminated the defence agreement with France in November 2024, it brought an end to one of Paris’ longest military relationships in Africa. French troops completed their withdrawal by January 2025, vacating the Adji Kossei air base in N’Djamena, which had served for decades as a strategic hub for French operations across the Sahel.
At the time, the decision appeared to confirm France’s diminishing influence in its former African colonies. Within a few years, Paris had lost permanent military positions in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad, while Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire also announced the departure of French forces as France moved away from its long-standing model of permanent military bases across Africa. T
he warming relationship with Chad reflects changing strategic calculations on both sides. For N’Djamena, the regional security environment has deteriorated significantly. The war in neighbouring Sudan has displaced hundreds of thousands of refugees into eastern Chad, while instability across the wider Sahel continues to place pressure on the country’s security forces. Reports suggest Chadian authorities have become increasingly dissatisfied with the capabilities offered by some of their newer defence partners, prompting renewed interest in selective cooperation with France.
France, meanwhile, is attempting to redefine its role in Africa after a series of political and military setbacks. Rather than seeking to restore large permanent deployments, Paris is pursuing smaller, demand-driven partnerships based on mutual interests and at the invitation of African governments. French officials have repeatedly stated that future cooperation will prioritise flexibility over permanent military bases.
During President Déby’s visit to Paris earlier this year, both governments agreed to broaden cooperation beyond defence, placing greater emphasis on trade, investment, development, education and infrastructure. The joint communiqué issued after the meeting described the objective as building a “revitalised partnership” founded on mutual respect and shared interests rather than the post-colonial model that had previously characterised relations.
Even so, France’s return to Chad should not be interpreted as a restoration of its former dominance in the Sahel. The political landscape has changed fundamentally. Military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger remain firmly opposed to restoring French military cooperation, while the Alliance of Sahel States continues to pursue alternative security arrangements independent of Paris. Chad’s decision therefore reflects its own national security priorities rather than a broader regional reversal.
For France, rebuilding ties with Chad represents an opportunity to retain a strategic partner in Central Africa after a period of unprecedented retrenchment across the continent. For Chad, it illustrates a more pragmatic foreign policy in which partnerships are judged less by historical loyalties and more by their ability to address immediate security and development needs.