France creating tensions in Chad – analyst
Chad does not need the French army to ensure its security, political analyst Evariste N’Garlem Tolde told RT on Wednesday.
Anti-French sentiment has been growing in Chad as opposition leaders have signed a joint statement demanding that French troops leave the country.
According to Tolde, there are more than ten French bases in Chad but the French army does nothing in the country. “Since the French army entered Chad, we have not seen any changes in the country. Terrorists are growing stronger there,” he explained, adding that this bears a resemblance to what is happening in Mali and Burkina Faso.
“Every time they [France] interfere somewhere, they create tensions,” Tolde stated. He believes that France is exploiting Chad’s resources and “acts as if the French still dominate” the African country.
In recent years, resentment against France’s presence in its former African colonies has been on the rise, especially in Mali, Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso. France has deployed thousands of troops to fight armed groups linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron announced on September 24 that France will withdraw its military and diplomats from Niger after the successful coup by anti-French forces. The contingent of around 1,500 soldiers stationed in the country will depart by the end of the year.
Three days after that announcement, French Ambassador Sylvain Itte left Niger for Paris, almost a month after the military leadership of the African country ordered his expulsion.
