The love story between France and Africa continues to deteriorate over time. The country led by Emmanuel Macron has lost its place as a privileged partner of French-speaking African states. After having been officially expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and more recently Niger, it is the turn of the Chadian populations to demand the departure of France. It is the opposition political party Rally for Justice and Equality in Chad (Rajet), via its president Ordjei Abderahim Chaha, which released a press release on social networks dated September 28, 2023. In this press release, he calls purely and simply for France to leave the country.
The reasons for this initial call
Ordjei Abderahim Chaha criticizes with the utmost energy French policy in Africa and particularly in Chad. He wants to be the spokesperson for the Chadian people who no longer agree with the presence of French troops in the country. He also accuses France of supporting the regime in place which is rejected by the vast majority of Chadians.
Arrived in power after the death of his father, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno established himself as head of state in Chad. Ordjei Abderahim Chaha accuses the Chadian authorities of orchestrating massacres and misappropriating public funds while being protected by Paris. The leader of Rajet therefore asks the French troops to leave the territory in the next three months and above all to cancel all the agreements between Nd’jamena and Paris.
A complicated initiative
If the intentions of the Chadian opposition are laudable, they however face several obstacles. First, the support of the Chadian authorities for France. At the head of the country for more than two years, but never elected, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was able to count on the help of France to forcibly enact the national dialogue resolution that allows him to extend his temporary presidency and to establish a longer transition period than planned.
Today the last bastion of France in the Sahel, Chad has strengthened its relations with Paris. The transitional president has also assured Macron that he intends to perpetuate their military partnership. Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was not worried after violently repressing an opposition demonstration in October 2022. A repression which left nearly 128 dead, and several arrests of opposition leaders.
