The leaked letter reveals Chad’s request for US forces to withdraw from a base near the capital, following a series of African nations opposing Washington’s military presence in the region.

The leaked document on April 20 shows General Idriss Amine Ahmed, Chief of Staff of the Chadian Air Force, sending a letter to the government on April 4 to object to the presence of US forces in the Central African country.

In the letter, he announced having intervened with the US defense attache, requesting US forces to cease all activities at the Adji Kossei air base. He explained that the US forces had not provided sufficient documentation to justify their legal presence at the base near the capital, N’Djamena.

“We request the government to inform the Americans of this decision,” General Ahmed wrote, adding that previous agreements on logistics and personnel support between the parties would not be considered a basis for the US military presence at the base.

Chad holds strategic importance for the West as it maintains defense cooperation amid a backdrop of several Central African nations terminating military agreements with the US and its allies. Approximately 1,000 French troops alongside fighter jets are still allowed to be stationed in Chad for counter-insurgency campaigns.

Military authorities in Chad’s neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have severed traditional military cooperation with France and the West to pivot relations towards Russia. Following the 2023 coup, the Nigerien military also requested French and US forces to end their presence.

Sources indicate that the US State Department and the Nigerien military have reached an agreement to withdraw over 1,000 US troops from two bases, including the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command center in Agadez valued at over $100 million.