CHAD · FRANCE · DEFENCE
Key Facts
- —The country Chad is a landlocked oil producer in north-central Africa that borders six countries, among them Sudan, Libya and the Central African Republic. Mahamat Idriss Déby has led it since 2021 and won a presidential election in May 2024.
- —What happened On Tuesday, 13 October, Chad and France signed a declaration of intent on defence cooperation in Paris, during Déby’s visit to President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
- —What it covers Training, expertise, defence industry, technology and building up Chad’s armed forces. No money, equipment list, troop numbers or timetable have been published.
- —Why now Chad ended its defence pact with France in November 2024 and the last French troops left in early 2025. Military contacts carried on afterwards without a legal framework.
- —Why it matters Chad is one of the last Sahel states still working with Western militaries, while Russian military specialists operate next door in the Central African Republic. Two days before the signing, Chad protested an armed incursion from that country.
- —Still open Whether French instructors or troops return, what the deal costs, and whether the declaration becomes a binding treaty.
Chad and France signed a declaration of intent on defence cooperation in Paris on Tuesday, nearly two years after Chad expelled the French army. The move comes as Chad faces armed incursions on its southeastern border from a Central African Republic that works with Russian military specialists.
Chad and France signed a declaration of intent on defence cooperation in Paris on Tuesday, 13 October, during a visit by Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Déby to President Emmanuel Macron. It is the first formal defence text between the two countries since Chad tore up its military pact with France in November 2024.
For Washington, the signing matters because Chad is one of the few governments in the Sahel, the dry belt south of the Sahara, still working with Western armies. Its neighbours Niger, the Central African Republic and Libya all host Russian military personnel or Russian-linked forces, and US troops were training Chadian special forces in the capital as recently as August.
What Chad and France Signed
The declaration was signed by Catherine Vautrin, France’s minister for the armed forces and veterans, and by General Issakha Maloua Djamous, Chad’s minister of the armed forces, veterans and war victims. The Élysée said it is meant to structure and develop defence cooperation as part of a renewed partnership, according to the Chadian news site Tchadinfos.
The text is to provide a framework for cooperation in training, expertise, industry and technology. It is also meant to build up the capabilities of Chad’s armed forces, including in what both sides call innovative fields.
“With the signing today of a declaration of intent, we are taking a new step and formalising the strengthening of our defence partnership, in the spirit of a renewed relationship,” Macron wrote on X after the meeting. He added that the two countries were building “a partnership founded on mutual respect and concrete cooperation” for both peoples, notably in culture and the economy.
A declaration of intent is a political commitment rather than a treaty. Tchadinfos noted that it is not, at this stage, a new military cooperation agreement and does not announce the return of French forces to Chad.
From Rupture to Reset
France kept troops in Chad for about six decades after independence, and N’Djamena hosted the headquarters of its regional counterterrorism operations. In November 2024 Chad’s government announced it was ending its defence cooperation agreement with France, saying it wanted to assert full sovereignty.
The last French soldiers left in early 2025, and relations cooled. A first sign of a thaw came when Déby was received at the Élysée in January this year, and military cooperation has since resumed without a formal legal basis, the Paris-based station Africa Radio reported.
Déby, 42, took power in April 2021 after his father, Idriss Déby Itno, was killed while visiting troops fighting rebels. He led a military transition and then won a presidential election in May 2024 that opposition parties disputed.
A Tense Border With the Central African Republic
The Paris signing came two days after Chad’s foreign minister, Ahmat Kogri, summoned the ambassador of the Central African Republic in N’Djamena. Chad accused the Central African army of an incursion on 10 October at Abnabak, near Tissi in Salamat province, that left several soldiers and civilians seriously wounded.
“The repetition of such acts is unacceptable and cannot remain without consequence,” the Chadian government said, according to Tchadinfos, adding that it had recorded several incursions in the border zone since 2021. It demanded precise explanations from Bangui and delivered what it called a firm warning.
The Central African Republic’s defence ministry said its army had carried out preventive air and ground strikes that day in Vakaga, its northeastern province bordering Chad and Sudan, against armed groups it described as foreign mercenaries. It said the operations were continuing in coordination with Russian military specialists, Tchadinfos reported, citing the Central African news site Ndjoni Sango.
What It Means for US Readers
The United States has its own stake in Chad’s military. US Air Force photographs show the US Army’s 91st Civil Affairs Battalion closing a joint training course with Chadian counterterrorism special forces in N’Djamena at the end of August 2026.
Washington has also sanctioned Russia’s Wagner Group, the paramilitary network long active in the Central African Republic, as a transnational criminal organisation since January 2023. A Chad that works with both France and the United States limits the space for Russian-linked forces between Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic.
For travellers, nothing changes. The State Department’s advisory for Chad, issued on 28 April 2026, is Level 4, “Do not travel,” citing crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping and landmines.
What Is Not Known
Neither government has published the text of the declaration, any budget, or a list of equipment or training programmes. It is not known whether French instructors or troops will be based in Chad again, or when a binding agreement might follow.
It is also not known whether Déby and Macron discussed the incursion from the Central African Republic. No public Central African reply to Chad’s protest had been reported by Wednesday morning, and the number of people wounded at Abnabak has not been released.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Chad and France sign on 13 October?
They signed a declaration of intent on defence cooperation covering training, expertise, defence industry, technology and the build-up of Chad’s armed forces. It was signed in Paris by the two countries’ armed forces ministers during Mahamat Idriss Déby’s visit to Emmanuel Macron.
Are French troops returning to Chad?
Nothing announced so far says so. The declaration is a political commitment, not a new military agreement, and no troop deployment has been published.
Why did Chad end its defence pact with France?
Chad’s government ended the agreement in November 2024, saying it wanted to assert full sovereignty. The last French troops left in early 2025, after about six decades of French military presence.
What happened on the Chad and Central African Republic border?
Chad says the Central African army crossed into its territory at Abnabak on 10 October, seriously wounding soldiers and civilians, and summoned Bangui’s ambassador on 11 October. Bangui says it struck armed groups on its own side of the border with support from Russian military specialists.
Can Americans travel to Chad?
The US State Department advises Americans not to travel to Chad for any reason, rating it Level 4 since 28 April 2026. It cites crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping and landmines.
Sources: Tchadinfos, Chad and France sign defence declaration of intent, 13 October 2026, Africa Radio, Paris and N’Djamena relaunch defence cooperation (with Emmanuel Macron’s post on X), 14 October 2026, Tchadinfos, Chad summons the Central African ambassador, 11 October 2026, Tchadinfos, Central African army announces strikes in Vakaga, 11 October 2026, Radio Ndeke Luka, an incident revives Central African and Chadian tensions, 12 October 2026, Journal du Tchad, 12 October 2026, US Treasury, Wagner Group designated a transnational criminal organisation, 26 January 2023, US State Department, Chad travel advisory, US Air Force photo 260831-F-IY281-1049, JCET closing ceremony in N’Djamena, via Wikimedia Commons
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