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

What the report says

France and Chad are continuing efforts to restore military cooperation after relations broke down in 2024 and French troops left Chad in early 2025, according to RFI, distributed by AllAfrica. The French army said two Mirage 2000 fighter jets and a CASA transport aircraft will make a short technical stopover in Chad and carry out training activities.

The stopover is set to take place in connection with a joint military exercise involving forces from Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and France in November. French defence spokesman Xavier Rival said the visit would also help develop the Chadian air force’s capabilities. He said the renewed cooperation is being carried out with respect for Chad’s sovereignty and is intended to support efforts to address regional instability.

The report places the move in the context of a broader thaw between Paris and N’Djamena. Chad was one of France’s last remaining military footholds in the Sahel before the deterioration in ties, which followed Chad’s termination of a defence cooperation agreement in November 2024. Since then, President Emmanuel Macron and Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno have held talks as both sides have sought to rebuild the relationship.

RFI also noted that the renewed engagement now extends beyond security issues, with France and Chad discussing economic and cultural links as well as military assistance. The development matters because it signals a cautious reset in a relationship that had been badly strained by wider shifts in France’s military presence across the Sahel.