Several soldiers on mission saw their convoy stopped by Chadian forces, reports Tchad One. The soldiers were disarmed and forced to wait outside their vehicle, a video circulating on social media shows.
The French soldiers were intercepted on the outskirts of the eastern Chadian town of Adré, by officials of the military base located at the entrance to the city, according to Tchad One.
Not having been made aware of their mission, the Chadians therefore had to carry out checks. The French contingent was probably heading for the Sudanese border , to lend a hand to the Chadian army struggling with the forces of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, the media report suggested.
According to journalist Jean Bexon who claimed that he contacted the French authorities, France confirmed the incident, explaining that the soldiers had been able to continue their journey after the checks in force.
If the general staff praised the "coolness" of the troops, Jean Bexon for his part deplored the images as "distressing for French military cooperation in Africa."
Paris withdrew its last soldiers from Mali in August 2022, however, some 3,000 soldiers are still deployed in several countries of the Sahelo-Saharan strip.
Lately, voices have been raised against this presence. An idea that resonated with Chadian youth, as Abdoulaye Nabaloum, president of the Confederation of Pan-African Associations and Movements of West Africa (CAMPAO) explained recently to Sputnik.