Chad turns to France for military training and technology under new declaration after ending decades-long defence pact

France and Chad have signed a declaration of intent to strengthen defence cooperation, taking another step towards rebuilding a military partnership disrupted when the Central African country ordered French troops to leave.

• France and Chad signed a declaration of intent on defence cooperation in Paris on 13 October.
• It covers training, expertise, defence industry and technology to strengthen Chadian military capabilities.
• The signing follows Chad’s termination of their previous defence agreement in November 2024.
• The declaration does not announce reopened French bases, a troop deployment or a weapons contract.

The document was signed in Paris on 13 October during a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chadian counterpart, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno.

It identifies military training, expertise, defence industry and technology as areas for cooperation, with the aim of developing the capabilities of Chad’s armed forces.

The signing gives a written framework to a rapprochement already under way. It does not announce a return to France’s former network of permanent bases or disclose a new weapons purchase.

According to Anadolu’s account of the signing⁠, French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin and her Chadian counterpart, General Issakha Maloua Djamous, signed the document. The agency attributed its stated priorities to the Élysée.

From military rupture to renewed cooperation

Chad announced on 28 November 2024 that it was ending its defence cooperation agreement with France, forcing a withdrawal from a country that had long served as an important French military foothold in the region.

The departure concluded on 31 January 2025, with France handing back installations in N’Djamena, Faya and Abéché.

Macron publicly confirmed the latest signing, describing it as a further step in strengthening the defence partnership within a renewed relationship. He also highlighted cultural and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Before the withdrawal, France had approximately 1,000 troops in Chad. When the pullout began⁠, the first departures included Mirage warplanes stationed in N’Djamena.

The break followed French military withdrawals from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, making Chad’s decision another setback for Paris’s longstanding security presence in the region.

The rebuilding began before this week

The October signing follows months of efforts to repair the relationship.

An official joint statement issued after talks on 29 January⁠ said Macron and Déby wanted a revitalised partnership based on mutual respect and shared interests, particularly in the economy.

Their discussions also covered neighbouring Sudan, where they called for a humanitarian truce and a resolution preserving the country’s unity and territorial integrity. That regional concern illustrates the security pressures surrounding Chad as it rebuilds external partnerships.

By August, more limited security cooperation⁠, including training and intelligence support had resumed.

What the declaration changes

The document sets out areas in which the two governments intend to develop cooperation. Its emphasis on training, industrial expertise and technology points towards strengthening Chadian capabilities, rather than announcing a new French combat mission.

Chadian publication Les Dépêches du Tchad, citing Tchadinfos, also reported that the declaration does not constitute a new military cooperation agreement or announce the return of French troops.

Neither side disclosed a financial commitment, equipment quantities or an implementation timetable in the accounts reviewed.

Those details will determine the practical reach of the declaration: whether it produces additional training programmes, technology partnerships or equipment contracts, and how the responsibilities of both governments are defined.