Egypt seeks to block Turkish influence in Chad
Egypt is making every effort toward rapprochement with Chad to counterbalance Turkey’s influence in the African continent, especially after the defeat of Cairo’s ally in Libya.
CAIRO — Egypt announced March 10 its intention to sign an agreement with Libya and Chad to establish a new road linking the three countries, opening the door for Chadian products to the Egyptian market.
This came on the heels of a March 1 visit to Chad led by the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel. The Egyptian high-level military delegation visited Chad with the aim of boosting cooperation between the two countries and discussing ways to combat terrorist organizations in the landlocked state in north-central Africa.
Egypt has previously sought further rapprochement with Chad in a bid to support bilateral relations. On March 5, Egyptian Health and Population Minister Hala Zayed said that Egypt provided Chad with medical aid and support to stem the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt provided free treatment to Chadian citizens, set up field hospitals for ophthalmic surgeries and brought in Chadian specialists for training at the hospitals affiliated with the Health Ministry.
In a March 8 report, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed quoted sources saying that Kamel paid two visits to Chad in the past month, where he met with officials and confirmed Egypt’s readiness to upgrade its military, security and technical support to Chad, by organizing military exercises and offering grants for the military.
