Chad: France and Chad Rebuild Military Ties With Planned Air Force Training

The planned training is deliberately described in broad terms. French officials say two Mirage 2000 fighter jets and a CASA transport aircraft will make a technical stopover in Chad and conduct training activities. The article does not name a specific exercise or skill.

The visit forms part of a wider joint military exercise involving Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and France in November. Xavier Rival said the stopover would be short, but it would also support cooperation with Chad. France’s stated aim is to help develop the capabilities of the Chadian air force.

This marks a practical restart in defence ties after French troops withdrew from Chad in early 2025. The training could improve cooperation between the two air forces, but the article gives no details about the aircraft involved, the timetable, or the exact training tasks. It presents the activity as part of renewed military assistance and efforts against regional instability.

France’s former Sahel deployment was substantial, exceeding 5,000 soldiers. The troops were part of Operation Barkhane, a regional French military operation focused on combating jihadist groups. The article describes the mission as one of France’s major security commitments in the region.

Operation Barkhane ended in November 2022. At that point, France had maintained a large military footprint across the Sahel, including bases and partnerships with regional governments. Chad was one of France’s last remaining military footholds after other relationships deteriorated.

That wider presence later shrank sharply. Coups between 2020 and 2023 forced France to withdraw from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Their military governments moved closer to Russia. France’s renewed cooperation with Chad therefore represents a limited return of military engagement, rather than a restoration of the former deployment of more than 5,000 troops.

The article says relations between France and Chad deteriorated from mid-2024 and reached breaking point later that year. In November 2024, Chad’s leader, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, formally terminated the country’s military cooperation agreement with France. The article does not state a specific reason for that decision.

The agreement’s termination had a direct practical consequence. French troops left Chad completely in early 2025. Chad had been one of France’s last military footholds in the Sahel, so the withdrawal further reduced France’s regional military presence after departures from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The relationship has since begun to improve. France and Chad are rebuilding defence ties while also expanding economic and cultural cooperation. In October, President Emmanuel Macron hosted Déby for talks, and both countries signed a declaration of intent to renew defence cooperation. The new aircraft visit shows that military contact has resumed under different terms.

A defence partnership creates a framework for practical military cooperation. France can provide training and assistance, while Chad can work with French forces to strengthen its own defence capabilities. The article presents this as cooperation between two sovereign countries, not a return to the previous arrangement.

The clearest example is France’s plan to help develop the capabilities of the Chadian air force. Two Mirage 2000 fighters and a CASA transport aircraft will make a short stopover in Chad and conduct training activities. The visit is linked to a broader exercise involving France, Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon.

For France, the partnership supports its stated objective of contributing to efforts against regional instability. For Chad, it offers renewed military assistance after French troops withdrew in early 2025. The relationship also now includes economic and cultural cooperation. Its future depends on continued agreement and respect for Chad’s sovereignty.

Renewed French training could give Chad’s air force stronger operational capabilities. Better training may help Chadian personnel use aircraft, coordinate missions and support national security operations. However, the article does not describe a specific programme or claim that the effect has already occurred.

The immediate example is the planned stopover by two French Mirage 2000 fighters and a CASA transport aircraft. French officials say the visit will include training activities and help develop the Chadian air force. France also says its broader objective is contributing to efforts against regional instability.

That assistance could improve Chad’s ability to respond to jihadist groups and other security threats in the region. The likely effect is strengthening Chad’s own forces rather than recreating a permanent French deployment. The article provides no battlefield results, troop numbers or timetable, so the longer-term impact remains uncertain.

Military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger moved away from France after coups took place between 2020 and 2023. The article says those coups forced France to withdraw from the three countries. It also says the juntas in those countries drew closer to Russia.

The source does not identify detailed reasons for that policy shift. It therefore supports a clear sequence, but not a complete explanation of the governments’ motives. France’s wider relationship with former French-speaking colonies had already become strained, and its regional military presence declined sharply.

This change helps explain why Chad became one of France’s last military footholds in the Sahel. Chad later ended its own military agreement with France in November 2024, prompting a complete French withdrawal in early 2025. France and Chad are now rebuilding ties, but the article does not say whether Chad’s renewed partnership will influence neighbouring governments.

National sovereignty means a country has the authority to govern itself and decide how its territory and armed forces are used. Inviting a foreign military to train or assist does not automatically surrender that authority. The cooperation remains based on Chad’s consent and agreed terms.

The article illustrates this balance through Xavier Rival’s statement that French cooperation with Chad had resumed “in full respect of Chad’s sovereignty.” France will help develop the Chadian air force, while the planned aircraft stopover is described as a short visit involving training activities. Chad’s government remains the national authority.

Sovereignty also means Chad can change the relationship. In November 2024, its leader terminated the military cooperation agreement, and French troops withdrew completely in early 2025. The renewed partnership therefore depends on continuing agreement between both countries. Its success will require practical cooperation without replacing Chad’s control over its own defence decisions.