DIPLOMACY: Mahamat Déby’s Visit to Paris Revives Debate Over Chad’s Alliances
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno is visiting Paris today. On Tuesday, France and Chad signed a declaration of intent at the Élysée Palace on defence cooperation. Signed by Catherine Vautrin on the French side and General Issakha Maloua Djamous on the Chadian side, the document provides for cooperation in military training, expertise and technology. The signing comes less than two years after the termination of military agreements in 2024 and marks a strategic reversal.
On paper, Chad claims to be surrounded. It points to Niger, Sudan, Nigeria, where Boko Haram operates, Libya and even the Central African Republic. Only the border with Cameroon appears to inspire confidence in the country’s second Marshal-President.
However, a clear-eyed assessment shows that these tensions are largely the result of the policies pursued by the MPS regime itself.
In Sudan, the transitional government of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, based in Port Sudan, accuses N’Djamena of serving as a rear base and an air bridge to support the Rapid Support Forces led by General Hemedti.
In Niger, Niamey accuses Chad of harbouring Nigerien rebels and even suspects it of involvement in the recent failed coup attempt.
In the north, the Toubou community, which is in revolt, refuses to recognise an army it considers clan-based and dominated by Zaghawa Toroboro, Sudanese Zaghawa who were naturalised as Chadian citizens starting in 2003. The community rejects their presence in the BET region, an area immensely rich in gold, uranium, oil, natural gas, spring water and other resources.
For Chad’s neighbours, France’s return as a military partner does not represent a guarantee of stability. Instead, it is seen as strengthening an alliance that risks exporting conflict beyond the country’s borders.
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