US to ‘temporarily’ withdraw troops from Chad

The US will temporarily withdraw some of its troops from Chad, just days after agreeing to the removal of all its soldiers from neighboring Niger.

US Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said on Thursday that the US plans to “reposition” some of its forces from Chad, but did not say how many would be affected or where they would be moved.

“This is a temporary step as part of an ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after the May 6 presidential elections in Chad,” he said.

The announcement follows Chad’s air chief’s order for the US to halt operations at an air base near the capital N’Djamena earlier this month, Reuters news agency reported.

General Ryder also said talks with Niger’s ruling military junta, the National Council for the Protection of the Homeland (CNSP), began on Wednesday and are aimed at ensuring “an orderly and responsible withdrawal of US forces” from the country.

The US relies on Niger as a primary base for monitoring regional jihadist activities.

But the ruling junta, in power since July last year, ended a military deal that allowed the deployment of US personnel in the country and expelled French troops as part of its efforts to close ties with the West to break.