French troops begin leaving Chad

A contingent of 120 French soldiers has left Chad following the country's decision to terminate its defense cooperation agreement with Paris. French soldiers were seen boarding their plane on Friday and departing from N'Djamena airport .

The withdrawal process officially began earlier this month with the departure of two Mirage fighter jets . France still has about 1,000 troops stationed in Chad, with a full withdrawal expected to take several weeks . The terms of a full withdrawal, including whether any French troops will remain in Chad, have not yet been finalized between the two countries .

Chad announced on November 28 its decision to suspend the military agreement with Paris that came into effect after the country gained independence from France in 1960 . The withdrawal of French troops from Chad comes after France was forced to withdraw its forces from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal in recent years .

The departure marks the end of decades of French military presence in the Sahel region as anti-French sentiment continues to grow .