Blood at the Gates of Chad’s Palace: Assassination Attempt or a Warning from France?

Verbal clashes erupted between Macron and his Chadian counterpart prior to the attack.
On the calm night of January 8, 2025, tranquility near the Chadian presidential palace in N'Djamena was shattered by a sudden eruption of heavy gunfire that roared for nearly an hour.
Later, Chadian Foreign Minister and government spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah assured us in a live Facebook video that the situation was under control and that the entire plot to destabilize the country had been foiled.
“An attempt at destabilization has been foiled. Nineteen people died and six were injured, including 18 assailants and one soldier,” he told state TV.
Following the incident, security forces were deployed heavily around the presidential palace, closing off nearby roads with tanks and stationing armed personnel at street corners.
France 24 cited an unnamed security source who claimed the attackers belonged to Boko Haram, an extremist group operating around Lake Chad near the borders of Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger.
However, several news outlets later disputed this claim, noting that Boko Haram had not claimed responsibility for the attack, unlike in previous cases.
The Chadian Foreign Minister mentioned that the attackers were not carrying heavy weapons but instead had traditional handheld arms.
In the aftermath, political figures and African affairs experts accused France of orchestrating an attempt to overthrow President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who was inside the palace during the assault.
Less than 48 hours before the attack, a war of words broke out between Chad and Paris after French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized several African leaders, including those from Chad.
“We had a security relationship. It was in two folds: One was our commitment against terrorism since 2013. I think someone forgot to say thank you. It does not matter, it will come with time,” Macron said during his annual meeting with French ambassadors in Africa.
This prompted Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby to respond the next day with a speech from his presidential palace, broadcasted live on Facebook.
“I’d like to express my outrage regarding recent remarks by President Macron which border on contempt for Africa and Africans,” said Déby. “I think he is in the wrong era.”
Before the Firing
The attack on the presidential palace and the war of words between N'Djamena and Paris followed a larger incident on November 29, 2024, when the Chadian foreign minister announced the cancellation of security and defense cooperation agreements with France, just hours after French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot's visit to Chad.
Around 1,000 French soldiers are stationed in Chad, which has historically been one of France’s key allies in Africa.
This move angered some French politicians, who launched an attack on President Macron, holding him responsible.
European Parliament member Thierry Mariani described Chad’s decision as a political disaster for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In an interview with RIA Novosti on December 20, 2024, Mariani noted that France had lost all influence in Africa under Macron’s seven-year presidency.
“What happened with Chad is tragic, it’s 50 years of friendship that ended. It’s the same with Senegal. It’s a disaster for our foreign policy, and it’s Macron’s fault. He has endlessly shown his contempt for African leaders – the same contempt he shows for the French. When he publicly reads morals to African leaders during his trips, you can only have that kind of relationship.”
“Nothing is left of the French policy in Africa, which was built by presidents Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou and Jacques Chirac.,” he said.
“There are at most one or two states left with whom we maintain [military – ‘AI’] relations”, and during the seven years of Macron’s rule, all of Paris’ strongholds on the African continent have disappeared”.
This sentiment was echoed by French magazine Le Point in an article published on November 29, 2024, which reported on France's struggle due to these political developments. The piece was titled In Chad as in Senegal, the French army is no longer welcome.
The article noted that these developments mark a real turning point in Africa’s relationship with France, which, along with Britain, was once a principal colonial power.
French Role
African affairs expert Badr Hassan al-Shafie noted that France might be involved in some way in the operation.
In an article published on Al-Jazeera on January 10, 2025, he suggested that even if France is not overtly involved in the attack, it could still be one of the beneficiaries.
This is because the attack challenges the narrative the Chadian government has presented to the people, claiming that the French troops should leave as they have failed to protect the country from terrorism.
According to French logic and Macron's recent statements, these countries, and Chad in particular, need French forces to remain in some form.
This is underscored by the timing of the attack coinciding with the planned French troop withdrawal, sending a message from Paris that it remains the sole supporter of these regimes in curbing terrorism.
This is especially true since the withdrawal of the 1,000 French troops is not yet complete, despite Chad's set deadline for their departure by the end of January 2025, which may be postponed.

Importance of Chad
Chad, which uses French as its official language, is located in central Africa, bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, and Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger to the west.
Despite its wealth in natural resources such as oil, uranium, gold, limestone, sand, and salt, Chad remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, struggling with political violence and frequent military coups.
Chad holds a strategically important position for France and Western powers; this is due to its proximity to volatile regions in the fight against armed groups in the Sahel, particularly Boko Haram, and its role as a hub for monitoring political developments in neighboring countries, especially Libya and Sudan.
For this reason, Paris has provided strong support to the Chadian regime under former leader Idriss Deby and continues to back the new military council, led by his young son, Mahamat.
Chad's military ranks 90th among the 140 strongest armies worldwide, according to a report by Global Firepower in January 2022. The Chadian military oversees a country that spans over 1.2 million square kilometers, with a population of more than 16.8 million.
Over 3 million people are eligible for military service, with 343,000 reaching recruitment age each year. The active military force is estimated at 30,500 troops, in addition to 4,500 members in paramilitary forces.

Colonial Grip
France views Chad as part of its historical sphere of influence, having occupied the country from 1900 to 1960.
Despite a relative cooling in relations following France's policy shift of “detaching from former colonies” during the presidency of François Hollande, President Macron has given special attention to N'Djamena.
France has provided the Chadian military regime with intelligence and logistical support, helping it withstand various threats and insurgencies.
This was notably evident when Macron insisted on attending the funeral of former Chadian President Idriss Deby on April 20, 2021, who was killed during clashes with rebels “backed by Russia.” Macron's presence at the funeral defied security warnings but was intended to send a message of continued French support for the newly formed military council in Chad, headed by Deby's son after his death.
Chad hosts the command center for France's Operation Barkhane, aimed at countering terrorism in West Africa.
Around 1,000 French soldiers and several Mirage 2000 fighter jets are stationed there, alongside the command center of the G5 Sahel joint force, which includes Niger, Mali, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso.
These countries remain a top priority for France in Africa, as it strives to maintain control in the face of attempts by their governments to break free from the old colonial grip.
Sources
- Chad foils attempt to destabilise country - minister
- Attack on Chad’s presidential palace leaves 19 dead
- Macron’s claim that Africans failed to say ‘thank you’ for French military aid sparks outrage
- Chad president unhappy with Macron accusing African leaders of ingratitude
- MEP calls severing military ties with Chad and Senegal a “catastrophe” for France
- In Chad as in Senegal, the French army is no longer welcome [French]
- Chad rebels trained by Russia march on heart of Africa