Washington Announces, and N’Djamena Denies Redeployment of US Troops

Sudanhorizon – Agencies

Chad Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdurrahman Ghulam Allah, has categorically denied the US military’s announcement that Washington would redeploy troops in Chad.

According to the “All Africa” ​​website yesterday (Friday), Abderrahmane Ghulam denied from New York that they had no military contact and had not discussed with the US Administration the return of their forces to Chad.”

The US military announced the news in an interview with General Kenneth Ekman of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) on Friday by the Voice of America. However, the Chadian government categorically denied the news.

General Kenneth Ekman added that the American troops would be returning to Chad at the request of N’Djamena six months after the withdrawal of the American contingent stationed there at the request of the Chadian authorities.

Discussions are still ongoing to refine the specifics of the new mission. It is, therefore, impossible to give a specific date for the redeployment. The American official confirmed that they will deploy their forces this time with a limited number of Special Forces. This is meant to take into consideration the growing hostility in the region towards the presence of foreign military bases.

For its part, the Chadian government warned, in a press release, that it was important to remind that Chad, as a sovereign state, remains the master of its decisions on matters of national security and military cooperation with its international partners.”

It is worth noting that the United States had established a headquarters at Kossi Air Base in N’Djamena, in addition to its large base in Niger and its units in other Sahel countries, which were also forced to leave. A Pentagon source said that among them were 75 members of the US Special Forces, whose mission was to “support counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel and Lake Chad region,” and that the Chadian government suddenly ordered them to withdraw ahead of the presidential elections in May 2024.

This stand comes in conjunction with what was reported by some Sudanese social media outlets that the Chadian army was about to send reinforcements to its eastern border with Sudan for fear of the return of Chadian mercenaries and opponents who were fighting along the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces, following the severe blows they received from the Sudanese army, which impacted many of their senior field commanders, forcing them to retreat and withdraw westward.