Chad and US reach agreement to deploy limited number of troops in African country

September 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Major General Kenneth Ekman said Washington has reached an agreement with Chad to deploy a limited number of U.S. Army Special Forces personnel following the withdrawal of troops from the African country in April.

“We have reached an agreement on the return of a limited number of Special Forces personnel. It is a presidential decision, so it is a major political decision (…) by President (Mahamat Idriss) Deby,” he revealed in an interview with the Voice of America radio station.

This comes after AFRICOM chief General Michael Langley said on September 12 — following the withdrawal of troops from Niger — that US forces are beginning to “recalibrate” in the African region.

“We are turning to, to a certain extent, like-minded countries, with democratic values, shared objectives and challenges across the West African coast. We are in talks with the Ivory Coast and also with Ghana and Benin,” he stressed.

The United States was forced to withdraw just under 100 Special Forces personnel from a base in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, in April following a request from the authorities, who threatened Washington with ending the legal framework governing the presence of troops in the country, The New York Times reported.

Many African regimes are critical of the Western presence in their territories and are instead inclined to make overtures to Russia, including the deployment of mercenaries from the Wagner Group, now known as the Africa Corps.