How Chad, Sahel Benefited From European Military Missions

Research has shown that in the medium to long term, troop deployment supports democratisation efforts, eventually helping in the implementiion of a liberal-cosmopolitan order. Chadian troops have participated in several international interventions in Africa. These interventions include French and UN operations in Mali, the operations of the G5 (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa) in the Sahel, the Multinational Joint Task Force also in the Sahel, and the operations of the AU and the Economic Community of Central African States in the Central African Republic.

Chad's late former president, Idriss Déby, used participation in international interventions for his own gain - namely to stay in power. Déby benefited threefold from his alignment with France and his active stance in international interventions. First, Déby received large-scale funding. Second, he could reduce tensions within the military by sending parts of it abroad and finally, he secured the support of major external players who helped silence national and international criticism against his rule, writes Martin Welz, political science lecturer at Hamburg University for The Conversation Africa.