France has started the withdrawal of its military from Chad with the departure of two warplanes that were based in the capital N'Djamena, the French army said, two weeks after Chad said it was ending its defence cooperation pact with Paris.

The decision by Chad is another blow to what remained of France’s military influence in the troubled stretch of countries below the Sahara, where Russia’s influence has been growing.

Chad, a former African colony of France, has for decades been central to its military operations in Africa, but it is developing closer ties to Russia amid the NATO war with Russia in Ukraine.

France flew out the two Mirage fighter jets it had stationed in Chad on Tuesday, signaling the beginning of the withdrawal of its military forces from the former French colony in Central Africa that last month broke off its defense cooperation agreement with Paris.

France, Chad's former colonial ruler, had signed a revised version of the military and security agreement in 2019. Chad is just the latest nation in Central and West Africa to sever its security agreements with Paris.

Approximately 1,000 French troops are set to leave Chad, marking a significant reduction of France's military presence in the Sahel region.

France has initiated the process of withdrawing its military presence from Chad, starting with the departure of two warplanes stationed in N'Djamena, the capital. ・France has started the process of withdrawing its military presence from Chad.