On Thursday night, France’s foreign minister left Chad confident about its ongoing military relationship with its last strategic partner in the Sahel.Yet shortly after Jean-Noël Barrot took off for Paris from the capital N’Djamena,

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.

Chad has announced it is ending military cooperation with former colonial power France. The development comes just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. “The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with the French