On Thursday night, France’s foreign minister left Chad confident about its ongoing military relationship with its last strategic partner in the Sahel.Yet shortly after Jean-Noël Barrot took off for Paris from the capital N’Djamena,

Chad is just the latest nation in Central and West Africa to sever its security agreements with Paris. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have all ended deals with France and other Western nations in recent years, turning to Russia for support instead.

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 has announced it is ending military cooperation with former colonial power France. The development comes just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. “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

Chad is a key partner in the West's fight against Islamist militants in the West African Sahel region. But prior to the presidential election in May, Chad's authorities ordered the withdrawal of US troops from the country,