Shaaban Bilal (N’Djamena, Cairo)
Experts and political analysts warned of the repercussions of the withdrawal of US forces from Chad on the security situation, explaining that this step will increase the risks of the spread of terrorism and armed movements in the region in the absence of a security alternative.
Chad and the United States exchanged statements regarding the withdrawal of American forces, as the Chief of Staff of the Chadian Air Force called in early April for the withdrawal of American soldiers due to the absence of an agreement allowing their presence, and the Pentagon responded by announcing its intention to temporarily withdraw its soldiers and reposition some of its forces.
Recent months have witnessed the withdrawal of American and Western forces from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, which experts consider a threat to the fragile security situation in the region.
Chadian political analyst Abdel Rahman Omar believes that Chad’s call for the withdrawal of American forces comes as a reaction to pressures surrounding the crisis in eastern Chad and other issues, and that N’Djamena considered this an interference in its internal affairs and used the American forces card for pressure.
Omar explained to Al-Ittihad that there is more than one explanation for Chad’s step calling for the withdrawal of American forces, the first of which is that it is a desire and a message from the President of Chad to limit the American role in the region, and the second explanation is that this step is temporary until the legalization of the status of American forces is renegotiated.
Earlier, a Pentagon spokesman said that the US military command in Africa (AFRICOM) is considering repositioning some forces in Chad, where part of them were scheduled to leave, and that it is a temporary step in the ongoing review of security cooperation, which will resume after the presidential elections. Chadian on May 6.
The United States deploys about 100 soldiers in Chad as part of the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region, which is witnessing a widespread proliferation of armed movements and terrorist operations.
For his part, Chadian political analyst Dr. Ismail Mohamed Taher explained that this crisis began after the speech of the Chief of Staff of the Chadian Air Force, which called on Washington to withdraw its forces on the basis of the lack of an agreement or cooperation specifying the number of these forces, the duration of their presence, and their legality, which prompted the US Department of Defense to announce Its intention to withdraw its forces.
Security agreements
Taher told Al-Ittihad that the Chadian step may be a pressure card on the United States to use to achieve some political demands and goals, in light of the security situation in the region and the withdrawal of French forces, and that the apparent reason is Chad’s request for a new formulation of the security agreements with Washington.
The Chadian political analyst saw that the past few days have witnessed a decline in N’Djamena’s position calling for the withdrawal of American forces, as the Minister of Defense said that his country is not asking the American forces to leave, but has requested some amendments to the agreements related to the presence of these forces.
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