French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday hosted Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, as the two countries seek to rebuild ties two years after N'Djamena ordered French forces to leave its territory. The countries' defence ministers signed a declaration of intent to structure their defence cooperation "on a renewed basis".
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"We are taking a new step forward and formalising the strengthening of our defence partnership, in line with a renewed relationship," Macron posted on social media platform X, after hosting Déby at the Elysée Palace.
"We are building a partnership based on mutual respect and practical cooperation for the benefit of our peoples."
Relations between France and its former colony nosedived in November 2024, when Chad ended a six-decade security arrangement with Paris by ordering French troops off its teritory.
The move came alongside French military withdrawals from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups between 2020 and 2023, as the juntas in those countries drew closer to Russia.
Tuesday's bilateral meeting comes amid turmoil across Africa's Sahel region, including a war in Sudan that has caused a million refugees to flee to neighbouring Chad as well as pressure from hostile armed groups in Niger and Libya.
France and Chad seek to reset ties, one year on from military split
Signed by the two countries' defence ministers, the new declaration of intent provides a framework to "structure and develop bilateral defence cooperation, notably in the areas of training, expertise, industry and technology," the French presidency said.
It will help "support the capability development of the Chadian armed forces in innovative fields", the Elysée added.
Discreet partnership
A high-ranking Chadian military officer told French news agency AFP ahead of the meeting that a group of French intelligence officers have been deployed to N'Djamena to work with Chad's national agency, and that a French surveillance plane was operating on the border around Lake Chad where Boko Haram fighters were active.
French-Chadian relations have recently been on the mend, with both countries edging towards a discreet partnership with a stronger role for economic and business ties.
The thaw began in January when Déby was received at the Elysée Palace. He and Macron then met at the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, Kenya in May.
According to the Elysée, security cooperation was restored at the beginning of the year, notably for military training, equipment supplies and intelligence sharing.
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A French diplomatic source said recently that the two countries were operating in a "legal vacuum" after N'Djamena terminated the agreement.
"Cooperation has resumed, but all of this now needs to be formalised," the source said.
Macron has sought to renew France's engagement with Africa after years of strained ties with former French-speaking colonies.
On the economic front, France's main employers' federation Medef hosted a forum in September, bringing together 250 companies to encourage investment. Chad says it aims to raise $30 billion (€26.5 billion) and boost its GDP by 60 percent by 2030.
The Elysée said Medef is planning to send a delegation to Chad in the coming months.
(with AFP)