U.S. officials said the Pentagon plans to remove a large number of Special Operations forces from Chad soon, marking another setback in American security and counterterrorism strategy in West and Central Africa.
The choice to withdraw approximately 75 Army Special Forces members from Ndjamena, Chad’s capital, was made shortly after the Biden administration announced the removal of over 1,000 U.S. military personnel from Niger in the near future.
The Pentagon must reduce troops as African governments insist on renegotiating rules for U.S. military operations. Analysts suggest that both nations are seeking terms that are more advantageous to their own interests. U.S. officials have confirmed that the decision to pull out of Niger is definite, however, they expressed their intention to restart discussions on security collaboration following the elections in Chad on May 6.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are moving away from working with the US and are now seeking closer security relationships with Russia, as American military advisers leave both nations.
The Kremlin employs both persuasion and coercion to accomplish its goals. Last year, the president of Chad was told by the United States that Russian mercenaries were planning to assassinate him and three top officials, and that Chadian rebels were being supported by Moscow in the Central African Republic. Simultaneously, the Kremlin was trying to win over supporters within Chad’s leadership, such as members of the cabinet and the president’s half brother.
The upcoming exit of the U.S. advisers from Chad, a vast desert country at the heart of the continent, was driven by a recent communication from the Chadian government that Washington viewed as jeopardizing a crucial security pact.
The correspondence was addressed to the American defense attaché and did not explicitly request the U.S. military to depart from Chad, however, it specifically identified a Special Operations task force stationed at a Chadian military base in the capital city, which plays a crucial role in organizing American military training and advising operations in the area.
Around 75 Green Berets from the 20th Special Forces Group, which is a National Guard unit based in Alabama, are part of the task force. Officials stated that a few more American military members are employed in the embassy or in various advisory positions and will not be impacted by the choice to pull out.
Current and past U.S. officials stated that the message, as mentioned by CNN previously, might be a strategy used by certain military and government members to push for a better deal from Washington before the May elections.
American officials stated that in contrast to the U.S. troop pullout from Niger, the removal from Chad might be brief as diplomats consider a potential new status of forces agreement and the possible return of U.S. military advisers. Unless there are unforeseen diplomatic changes, the U.S. soldiers are set to start departing this weekend and finish moving to Germany by May 1, according to two American officials.
Maj. Pete Nguyen, a Pentagon representative, mentioned on Thursday that discussions are ongoing with Chadian authorities while U.S. Africa Command is in the process of arranging the relocation of certain U.S. military personnel from Chad, as was previously planned.
Major Nguyen stated that this temporary measure was a part of the continuous evaluation of our security partnership, and will continue post the presidential election on May 6.
Although France, once a colonial force in the area, has a larger military presence in Chad, the United States also considers the country a reliable security ally.
Chad’s presidential guard ranks among the most well-trained and well-equipped in the Sahel region of Africa, which is characterized by its semiarid climate. The nation has held military drills carried out by the United States. Officials from the Africa Command at the Pentagon have stated that Chad has played a significant role in a collaborative effort with multiple countries in the Lake Chad region to combat Boko Haram.
Gen. Michael E. Langley, head of the command, stated during a visit to Chad in January that U.S. Africa Command is committed to developing lasting partnerships with Chad and other African nations in the Sahel to tackle shared security concerns and support peace and prosperity in the region.
While on the journey, it was reported that General Langley had meetings with Gen. Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud, Chad’s top military official, and additional leaders. Conversations revolved around security issues in the region and the actions taken by Chad to combat violent extremism in the Sahel.
