Hundreds of people in Chad protest against the French military presence in the country

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N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Hundreds of people marched in Chad on Friday to call for the withdrawal of French troops from the country, a week after the Central African country ended a military agreement with its former colonial ruler.

Protesters in the capital, N’Djamena, chanted “Chad for us, France out!” with some holding banners that read, “We do not want to see a single French person in Chad.”

Last week, Chad said in a statement it would end a defense cooperation agreement with France to redefine its strategic partnerships in line with national priorities. France has maintained about 1,000 troops in Chad. The statement didn’t specify when they have to leave.

Some protesters on Friday went to a military airbase where French soldiers are stationed and called for their departure. Others gathered in front of the French embassy, which was under increased protection from the Chadian army.

“We no longer want the French presence in Chad," former Minister of Public Health Dr. Hissein Massar said. "This protest will stop once the French leave Chad,” he added.

Chad was one of the last countries in the region in which France maintained a large military presence, having been ousted in recent years from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso after years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Those countries have inched closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel, the vast expanse below the Sahara desert.

Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, seized power after his father, who ran the country for more than three decades, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced it was extending the 18-month transition for two more years, which led to protests across the country.

Chad said the decision to end the agreement in no way calls into question its historical ties with France and that it wants to maintain relations in other areas of common interest.