French forces have left Chad after 65 years of almost continuous presence in the West African country, reports RFI.
While the withdrawal was undertaken at Chad’s request, France’s foreign ministry told RFI it is "absolutely not the end" of cooperation on military matters.
The ministry's spokesperson also outlined France’s position on the crisis in eastern DRC where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are advancing in North and South Kivu provinces.
On Thursday, the French army handed the Adij Kossei base – its last military compound in Chad – over to Chadian authorities, with President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno welcoming what he called the "definitive and complete departure" of French forces.
The handover marks the end of France's military presence in its former colony "according to the wishes of the high Chadian authorities" in the capital N'Djaména.
President Déby, in power since 2021, had previously said the cooperation agreements with France had become "completely obsolete" in light of "the political and geostrategic realities of our time".
French forces have already been forced to withdraw from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups, marking a decline in French influence in West Africa.
Read more of this report from RFI.
Read Mediapart's background to this story here.