Chad’s Foreign Minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for his recent remarks suggesting African leaders had “forgotten to say thank you” to France for its role in combating jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel.
In a statement broadcast on state television, Koulamallah expressed the Chadian government’s “deep concern” over Macron’s comments, describing them as reflective of a “contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans.”
While affirming that Chad has “no problem” with France, Koulamallah emphasized that French leaders “must learn to respect Africans.” He also highlighted Africa’s significant role, including Chad’s, in aiding France during the two world wars, a contribution he said France has “never truly recognized.”
Koulamallah further stated that France’s support to Chad during its extended presence in the region often served “its own strategic interests” without leaving a lasting developmental impact for the Chadian people.
Chad recently ended its defence and security agreements with France, calling them “obsolete.” This decision coincided with the withdrawal of around 1,000 French military personnel stationed in the country, which had hosted Paris’s last military bases in the Sahel region.
In his address to French diplomats, Macron asserted that no Sahel nation would have achieved sovereignty without France’s military intervention, referring to France’s 2013 mission to repel jihadist forces in Mali and its subsequent operations in neighboring countries.
Macron’s comments come as France reconfigures its military presence in Africa after being ousted from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—countries now led by juntas hostile to Paris.
Senegal and Ivory Coast have also requested France to withdraw its military bases. Senegal’s Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, rejected Macron’s claims of “ungratefulness” among African leaders, stating that France lacks “the capacity or legitimacy” to guarantee Africa’s security or sovereignty.
Sonko also dismissed Macron’s assertion that France’s military withdrawal from Senegal was a negotiated decision, asserting it was a sovereign choice by Senegal.
“This decision was made independently and reflects Senegal’s status as an autonomous and sovereign nation,” Sonko said in a social media statement.
