The United States risks losing its military presence in yet another African country, as the Chadian authorities have sent a letter threatening to tear up the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Thus, the US may cede even more influence in the region to Russia. This is reported by CNN with reference to four American sources.
In a letter sent by Chadian authorities to the US military attaché last week, Chadian officials threatened to cancel the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which defines the rules and conditions under which US military personnel can stay in the country, the channel reports. Although the letter does not explicitly tell the US military to leave Chad, sources said it does say that all US troops will have to leave the French base in N’Djamena.
The letter mentions the US Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) stationed at the base, which is an important hub for US Special Operations Forces in the region, the two sources said. But the task force is not the only unit from the US contingent at the base, as all US troops in Chad are stationed in N’Djamena. The exact number of U.S. troops in the country is unknown, but one U.S. official said there are fewer than a hundred troops there.
The letter was sent by Idriss Amin, chief of staff of the Chadian Air Force, which is an unusual way to send such an important message.
“According to one of the officials, the letter was not sent through official diplomatic channels, which is the standard way of handling such matters. Both sources warned that the letter could be a negotiating tactic by the Chadian government to get a new agreement that better serves their interests,” the article said.
One of the sources told CNN that Chad’s leadership is following Niger’s lead in trying to use the opportunity to extract new concessions from Washington. But, the official said, Chad’s threat to terminate the SOFA agreement stunned U.S. officials.
“The move came at a critical time for U.S. interests in Africa, as U.S. officials warned that Russia’s influence was spreading across the continent,” the TV station noted.
1,432 total views, 4 views today
