Chad has been a key link in France's military presence in Africa and its last foothold in the Sahel after the forced withdrawal of troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after a series of military coups.

That foothold looked weaker, however, after Chad chose the anniversary of its November 28, 1958 proclamation of a republic on Thursday to announce it was scrapping military cooperation with Paris, just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

The announcement also came a month ahead of legislative elections on December 29

"The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with the French republic," Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement.

Kolulamallah insisted, that "this is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere" with about 1,000 French troops still in the country and France remaining "an essential partner."

"Chad has grown up, matured and is a sovereign state," he said.

The move came as a surprise. Chad was "open to a constructive dialogue to explore new partnership forms," Kolulamallah said.

"It is time for Chad to affirm its full and total sovereignty and redefine its strategic partnerships according to its national priorities," the minister went on.

The timing of the announcement was striking as Barrot had just left following a meeting with Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on the Sudanese border.

There, Itno had appealed for cooperation to move beyond the traditional security aspect towards greater "diversification" of bilateral links, according to an account by Chad state television Friday.

Deby's father, killed by rebels three years ago, frequently relied on French military support to fend off rebel offensives, including in 2008 and 2019.

Such threats persist in a nation bordering the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger, all of which host Russian paramilitary forces from the Wagner group.

- What was suspended ? -

A defence accord signed on September 5, 2019, updated a 1976 agreement which built on 1960 texts in the aftermath of independence and dealt notably with creating Chadian armed forces and the country's logistical capacity as well as building up military intelligence.

- Why now?

"This is a strong signal for Chad's foreign policy which the head of state is putting forward... as if to say sovereignty is henceforth total," according to Chad state television.

For opposition media Tchad One, however, "the reasons behind this decision remain hazy".

"Is it a populist manoeuvre by a government confronted with growing criticism over its legitimacy? (Or) pressure exerted by new strategic partners who wish to redefine geopolitical influence in the region?

"Or is it .... a 'carefully considered' decision seeking to confirm Chad's independance in the realms of defence and security?"

Next month's legislative polls will be Chad's first in 13 years. Opposition parties are refusing to participate, protesting at what they call a "dictatorial climate."

Opposition figurehead Succes Masra sees the polls as a "masquarade" and has criticised France for backing Deby Itno.

- Remaining French presence -

France will now have a 1,000-strong rump of a military presence in Chad spread out across three bases at a time when Russian influence in the Sahel has risen amid closer relations with juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has also called on France this week to close its bases, also for national sovereignty reasons.

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