After France's withdrawal, Turkey strengthens its presence in Chad
After France's withdrawal, Turkey strengthens its presence in ChadBy: The Charilogone Editorial Team
After France's withdrawal, Turkey strengthens its presence in Chad. A celebration in N'Djamena marking the end of the French military presence took place on February 3, 2024. Turkey strengthened its military presence in Chad through two bases near the Libyan and Sudanese borders, while N'Djamena celebrated the official end of the French military presence in the country.
An official ceremony was held in the presence of Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno on the runway of the Adji Kossei base airport, from where the last French plane took off at the end of last January. This is the camp known to have been the starting point of the Free French Forces in 1940. It is also from there that the French army carried out most of its operations in Africa.
Thus, the military presence which lasted more than a century came to an end, and it was put in place in record time, whereas a few months ago there were a thousand French soldiers.
With the departure of the French army, Chadian and Turkish media sources revealed that Turkish drones will soon be installed at the Faya base, adjacent to southern Libya, as the Turks are already present in this former French base and will soon settle in the Abéché base, near the Sudanese border, as Ankara plans to build a military base where the French base was previously located.
Turkish observers say one of the main reasons for the presence of the Turkish army in the two bases is to provide security and fight against terrorist and rebel groups in Chad.
Another reason for the deployment of the Turkish army in Chad is that neighboring Sudan is in the middle of a civil war and therefore it is important for Chad to secure its borders with this unstable country.
There are Turkish specialists responsible for carrying out the operations of the Bayraktar aircraft obtained by Chad. The individuals deployed in Faya are therefore drone pilots or Bayraktar employees.
Turkish marches in Africa
This Turkish company, whose CEO is close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has sold a large number of drones in Africa. There are also many devices intended for ground surveillance, which can also be armed.
Since the 1980s, the French army was behind several operations by the Chadian army against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi until 2021, when it launched military strikes against rebels from Libyan territory which caused the death of former president Idriss Déby.
Turkish website TR Haber criticized the previous presence of French forces in the region, pointing out that they had turned the region into “destruction and a state of instability”.
In return, he welcomed the Chadian agreement with Ankara, saying it would bring peace and stability to the region, particularly in the east of the country bordering Sudan, which is experiencing unrest due to the civil war.
The same website indicates that the decision to grant the Abéché base to Turkish forces came after intense meetings between the Turkish ambassador in N'Djamena, Cem Otkan, and officials of the Chadian government, in mid-January 2025.
President Mahamat Déby is trying to find new allies while prioritizing the sovereignty of the country, Chad having to benefit from Russian expertise in the nuclear energy and mining sectors after the marginalization of France.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Chad said N'Djamena was interested in expertise that could strengthen its economy and infrastructure, such as engineering, agriculture and construction.
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