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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Chad’s government threatens to kick out US troops as Russia expandsÂ
influence in Africa
By Haley Britzky, Oren Liebermann and Natasha Bertrand, CNN
Updated:
6:35 PM EDT, Thu April 18, 2024
Source: CNN
The US risks losing its military presence in another African country as
the government of Chad sent a letter threatening to end a critical
security agreement, according to four US sources, a move that threatens
to cede more US .
In a letter sent to the US defense attaché last week, Chadian
officials threatened to cancel the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA,
which determines the rules and conditions under which US military
personnel can operate in the country. While the letter did not directly
order the US military to leave Chad, the officials told CNN that it
said all US forces would have to leave the French base in N’Djamena.
The letter specifically mentioned the US Special Operations Task Force
(SOTF) at the base, an important hub for US Special Operations Forces
in the region, two of the sources said. But the task force is not the
only contingent of US military personnel at the base, as all US service
members in Chad are located in N’Djamena.
Instead, the letter was from the Chief of Air Staff of Chad, Idriss
Amine, the intelligence sources said, an unusual way to transfer such a
significant message. The letter was typed in French, one of Chad’s
official languages, and written on Amine’s official letterhead.
The letter was not sent through official diplomatic channels, according
to one of the officials, which is the standard way to handle these
issues. The two sources cautioned that letter could be a negotiation
tactic by the government of Chad to get a new agreement that better
favors their interests.
The exact number of US troops in the country is not clear but one US
official said there are fewer than 100 troops there.
CNN has asked Chad’s government for comment.
The move comes just a month after the military government of
neighboring Niger ended its agreement with the US military that allowed
American personnel to operate in the country.
One of the sources told CNN that the leadership in Chad is following
the example set by Niger, attempting to use an opportunity to extract
more concessions from the US. But the official said Chad’s threat to
terminate the SOFA agreement blindsided US officials.
The move comes at a critical time for US interests in Africa, as
American officials have warned that Russian influence is expanding
across the continent.
In Niger, a senior airman filed a formal whistleblower complaint,
warning that the US ambassador to Niger and the defense attache had
“intentionally suppressed intelligence” in an attempt to
“maintain a façade of a great country-to-country relationship.”
The complaint alleges that the approximately 1,100 US troops in Niger
are being “held hostage” since no new troops can come in to replace
those currently deployed. “It is clear that the country of Niger does
not want a permanent military presence in their country and they have
informed us that we need to leave,” the airman wrote.
The Washington Post on the whistleblower complaint.
In a statement to CNN, Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, head of US
Africa Command, said some diplomatic clearances for military flights
“have recently been denied or not responded to, which has forced
extended deployments in some cases.”
“US Africa Command senior leaders continue to work closely with the
State Department and others to ensure US forces deployed to Niger have
the support and services they need,” Langley said. A US military
official said AFRICOM remains committed to conducting intelligence
activities, and that the Defense Department and AFRICOM “are informed
daily of the situation on the ground in Niger.”
CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment.
The complaint comes as the Nigerien state broadcaster announced one
week ago that Russia had delivered military equipment, including the
latest generation of air defense systems, to Niger.
Langley, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that Russia
is “trying to take over central Africa as well as the Sahel” at an
“accelerated pace.”
“(A) number of countries are at the tipping point of actually being
captured by the Russian Federation as they are spreading some of their
false narratives across Libya and from a strategic answer piece, access
and influence across the whole Maghreb,” Langley said. “That is
NATO’s southern flank. We need to be able to have — maintain access
and influence across the Mahgreb, from Morocco all the way to Libya.”
In a separate hearing with the House Armed Services Committee last
month, Langley said Central African countries were “in a dilemma,”
needing developmental assistance from countries like Russia and
China but balancing those needs against “risks to national
sovereignty.”
“In this region, the stakes are high,” .
Langley visited Chad in January this year alongside AFRICOM’s senior
enlisted advisor, Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods. While in the country,
Langley met with Chadian military leaders including Gen. Abakar
Abdelkerim Daoud, Chad’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces,
according to  at the time.
Langley said in the release that AFRICOM “remains dedicated to
building enduring partnerships with Chad and other African nations.”
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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