The US says it will return to Chad for talks after withdrawing troops this month

ACCRA, Ghana — The U.S. military plans to return to Chad within a month for talks on revising an agreement that allows the country to maintain troops there after withdrawing earlier this month, a U.S. general said Wednesday .

The US said it was withdrawing most of its contingent of about 100 troops from Chad after the government questioned the legality of their operations there. This followed Niger’s decision to allow all US troops to leave the country, dealing a blow to US military operations in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara where groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State operate .

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, made the comments to reporters in Ghana during the second annual African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS).

He said the withdrawal of US troops from Chad was expected to be temporary, and Chad had signaled to Washington that it wanted to continue the security partnership there after the presidential election.

“We’ll be back in a month for discussions to see what ways, and what they need, to continue to build in their security build and also against terrorism,” Langley said.

Government officials in Chad were not immediately available for comment. Chad’s presidential elections are scheduled for Monday, and analysts expect the incumbent president to win.

Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, seized power after his father, who ruled the country for more than 30 years, was killed in the fight against rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced that it would extend the eighteen-month transition period for another two years. which led to protests across the country.

Langley said the withdrawal of U.S. troops was a temporary step “as part of an ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume following the May 6 presidential elections in Chad.”

Both Chad and Niger have been integral to the U.S. military’s efforts to counter violent extremist organizations in the Sahel region, but Niger’s ruling junta last month ended an agreement allowing U.S. troops in the West African country to operate.

Niger is home to a major US air base, in the city of Agadez, about 920 kilometers (550 miles) from the capital Niamey, which it uses for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations. The US has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s military since it began operations there in 2013.