The French Army General Staff confirmed on Thursday, October 29, that two Mirage 2000 fighter jets and one CASA transport aircraft will soon land in Chad for a brief technical stop. The visit includes training actions and is part of a larger military exercise scheduled to take place in November across Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon. This event represents the first return of French combat aircraft to Chadian soil since the withdrawal of the final French soldiers at the end of January 2025.
Paris describes this movement as a "resumption of cooperation." While no specific date has been announced for the landing, the aircraft are en route to an exercise involving approximately thirty military personnel from November 8 to November 30. This development follows a meeting between the French and Chadian presidents at the Élysée Palace two weeks prior, during which a declaration of intent was signed.
The move aims to formalize the restart of military collaboration and close the chapter opened in November 2024, when Chad abruptly denounced its defense agreements with Paris. Sources indicate that the situation was more of a restructuring than a definitive rupture. Chad requires support to monitor its borders against rebel groups, especially as relations with neighboring Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Niger continue to deteriorate.
For France, this represents an effort to re-establish a foothold in the Sahel region, which has become increasingly hostile in recent years. The French General Staff carefully framed the announcement, emphasizing that cooperation is resuming "in respect of Chad's sovereignty," a term chosen deliberately given that N'Djamena cited sovereignty as the reason for breaking the defense pact in late 2024.
On the Chadian side, a government source stated that the fighter jet stops result from a roadmap established on January 29, 2026, by the two presidents. These negotiations were conducted directly between the Élysée and the Toumaï Palace, bypassing foreign ministries. A source close to the negotiations insisted that "there was never a rupture," explaining that the closure of bases was intended to establish a new dynamic while training activities continued uninterrupted.
Furthermore, a Chadian government official noted that the French military could redeploy to Chad if needed, provided N'Djamena gives prior approval. Although no such request has been made yet, the source affirmed that if France were to ask, it would be accepted. Despite this renewed engagement with Paris, N'Djamena maintains its commitment to diversifying its international partners, continuing cooperation with Russia, Turkey, and China.
Sources: RFI.