TEHRAN, November 29 (MNA) – Chad's government said on Thursday it has ended its defense cooperation pact with France, a move that could see French troops leave the Central African country.In a statement, Chad's foreign ministry said the country fully asserts its sovereignty after more than six decades of independence.

It said the decision to end the defense cooperation agreement revised in 2019 would enable it to redefine its strategic partnerships, Reuters news agency reported.

Chad has cooperated closely with Western nations' military forces in the past, but it has moved closer to Russia in recent years.

The decision is another nail in the coffin of France's historic and colonial role in West and Central Africa after being forced to pull its troops out of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso following the military coups.

In a further blow to France, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said in an interview with French state TV on Thursday that it was inappropriate for French troops to maintain a presence in his country.

He stopped short of saying if or when French troops would be asked to leave but said Paris would be the first to know.

Around 350 French troops are based in Senegal.

MA/PR