US to pull out troops from Chad in second African state withdrawal
The United States says it plans to withdraw part of its troops from Chad days after announcing the pullout of forces from neighboring Niger.
The withdrawal of about 75 US special forces is reportedly scheduled to begin this weekend and will be completed within days.
The US keeps approximately 100 troops in Chad, under the pretext of fighting extremism.
"USAFRICOM is currently planning to reposition some US military forces from Chad, a portion of which were already scheduled to depart," Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder told a news conference on Thursday, referring to the US Africa Command.
"This is a temporary step as part of an ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after Chad's May 6 presidential election."
However, Sahel area countries have started to question the legality of the US military presence.
In March, Niger’s government also said it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington, saying US military presence was illegally imposed on Niger.
The country has also launched discussions with the US on ending its military presence in the African country.
This month Chad's air force chief had ordered the US military to halt activities at an air base near the capital N'Djamena, according to a letter sent to the transitional government.
He said he had asked the US military to provide documents "justifying its presence at the Adji Kossei Air Base" but had not received any.
General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno took power after his father, President Idriss Deby Itno, who ruled the country for 30 years, died during an operation against rebels in April 2021.
The military junta initially promised to hand power to civilians, however, in October, Deby's rule was extended for two years.
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