French Prime Minister Jean Castex arrived Thursday, December 31 in Chad for a visit to support the troops of the Barkhane anti-terrorism force, preceded by an interview with President Idriss Déby in Amdjarass (east).
He landed in the stronghold of the Chadian head of state, where he is currently on vacation, at 2:45 p.m.
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The Prime Minister, of which this is the first major international trip, must discuss with Déby for an hour for a "
general interview
", according to his services.
Among the hottest issues is the future of French military engagement in the Sahel, when three soldiers died Monday in Mali in the explosion of an artisanal mine.
Jean Castex will pay tribute to them Thursday evening in a speech delivered at Camp Kosseï in N'Djamena, the command center of the Barkhane force.
He will then wake up with soldiers among the 800 stationed on this base, which is piloting operations throughout the Sahelo-Saharan strip.
But the Prime Minister will in all likelihood provide little indication of the future physiognomy of Barkhane, currently composed of 5,100 men but at a new strategic turning point.
“
Clear directions
”, according to Matignon, are expected at a summit in early 2021 in N'Djaména bringing together France and its G5 Sahel partners (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad) engaged in the fight anti-terrorism.
This meeting will mark the first anniversary of the Pau summit which had refocused the objectives on the area known as the "
three borders
" (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso), with several tactical successes to the key, in particular against the Islamic State in Grand Sahara (EIGS).
But France, which refuses to speak of "
disengagement
", is also counting on the rise of local forces and could in this sense recall the 600 reinforcements deployed this year.
There is still hope for the deployment of a new Chadian battalion in the three border area, promised a year ago but which is encountering delays while the country is also facing terrorist attacks by Boko Haram in the region of Lake Chad.
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