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full screen French President Emmanuel Macron in connection with the speech to French diplomats on Monday. Photo: Aurelien Morissard/AP/TT
Chad accuses Emmanuel Macron of speaking contemptuously when he accused African leaders of ingratitude.
The criticism is the latest example of the deepening rift between Paris and the Sahel region.
Macron’s comments came as he addressed French diplomats on Monday and claimed African leaders had “forgotten to say thank you” for France’s help in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel.
“The government of Chad expresses its deep concern following the comments made by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, which reflect a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans,” Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement.
Lost military bases
The central African nation announced in November that it was terminating its military and security agreement with Paris, thus the French lost their last military bases in the Sahel.
France has around 1,000 military personnel in the country, who are now in the process of leaving. In 2013, France intervened to curb jihadist rebels in Mali, which eventually led to the stationing of troops in neighboring countries as well.
But after military juntas in Sahel countries with a more critical attitude towards Paris took power in several places, France has recently also been forced out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Also seen by Senegal
The French have also been asked to leave in Ivory Coast and Senegal.
The leader of Senegal, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, also had nothing to spare for President Macron’s remarks.
“France has neither the ability nor the legitimacy to ensure Africa’s security or its sovereignty,” Sonko writes in a statement published on social media.