Riyad Al-Jabbari date of publication :
April 27, 2024, / 10:09 AMUpdate date :
April 27, 2024, / 10:09 AM
US forces, AFRICOM, began withdrawing from Chad, days after withdrawing its forces and halting its military activities in neighboring Niger. This reminded many of what happened with France when it was expelled from the African Sahel countries.
Experts believe that the expulsion of French and American forces from the African Sahel region reflects the decline of Western influence in West Africa, a region that may become completely subject to Russia, which has greatly strengthened its presence there.
US Department of Defense spokesman, General Pat Ryder, said in a press conference, “The US military command in Africa, AFRICOM, is currently considering the repositioning of some military forces in Chad, part of which was already scheduled to leave.”
Ryder added that it is “an interim step in the ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after the presidential elections in Chad.”
Chadian military expert Moussa Issa said, “The United States’ withdrawal from Chad came quickly, unlike what happened with Niger, which gives the impression, I believe, that Washington is closely following developments in N’Djamena’s position on the West, as there are important changes that have been observed recently.”
Issa explained to “Erm News” that “since the visit of the head of the transitional period, Idriss Déby, to Russia months ago, it has become clear to the United States that Chad may join the countries allied with Russia in the Sahel region, because Déby is pragmatic, unlike his father, and realizes that the transformations in the region impose this.” “.
The military expert did not rule out that his country would conclude a military cooperation agreement with Russia, stressing that “Chad needs advanced military equipment to deal with any force that will cooperate with it, whether Washington, Moscow, or Paris. Therefore, it may resort to Russia after many years of alliance with Western powers.”
For his part, the political analyst specializing in African affairs, Mohamed Hajj Othman, said, “The West is losing all its cards on the African coast one by one, after years of failure on several levels, whether military, developmental, economic, or otherwise.”
Othman told “Erm News” that “what happened in Chad was a surprise to everyone. No one expected that Chad, which is considered an ally of France and the United States, would dare to call on Washington to withdraw its forces and the latter responded quickly, but it seems that a lot of water has flowed under the bridges of diplomacy and official policy.” Chadian.
The analyst stressed, “The West has now lost 4 allies in the African coast, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad. This means the end of a phase that extended for decades in which the West was the main hegemon in the region. I believe it is a historic setback for the West.”
https://www.eremnews.com/news/world/vllqhz1djy
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Posted on April 27, 2024
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