The Chad government has decided to withdraw half of its 1,200 troops from the multinational G5 Sahel forces battling Islamist militants in the troubled three-border region of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, reported Africa News.
“We have redeployed 600 men to Chad in agreement with the G5 Sahel forces,” Abderaman Koulamallah, a government spokesman, told AFP on Saturday. “This is a strategic redeployment to best adapt to the organization of terrorists.”
Back in February, Chad had deployed a contingent of 1,200 soldiers in this area to fight against jihadist groups, as part of the G5 Sahel forces, a group of five countries including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger which have been fighting together against the militants since 2017.
The three-border region is the most affected by jihadist attacks. The jihadist groups that are active in the area are affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (EIGS).
“That still leaves around 600 soldiers on the ground,” said Koulamallah.
He said the redeployment had been planned for some time and in cooperation with the G5’s leadership. He added that the recalled troops would be redeployed elsewhere in the country, without giving further details.
The authorities in Chad have faced a separate conflict this year with insurgents in the north. There have been incidents of rebel violence in the Lake Chad region that borders Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
“Regarding the situation on the ground, we need a mobile force, hence the withdrawal of some of our forces with heavy weapons,” the Chad government spokesperson said.
Koulamallah insisted that Chad’s commitment to fighting the rebels remained intact.
France, which is also involved in the anti-jihadist fight in the region, recently announced the reduction of its military forces in the Sahel region from about 5,000 to between 2,500 and 3,000 soldiers, although it has given no time frame.
