France has started the withdrawal of its military from Chad with the departure of two warplanes that were based in the capital N'Djamena, the French army said, two weeks after Chad said it was ending its defence cooperation pact with Paris.

The French military says it has flown out the two Mirage fighter jets it had stationed in Chad, signaling the beginning of its withdrawal of military forces from the central African country.

France's military presence in Chad has ended following the departure of two combat jets and a tanker aeroplane from the capital N'Djamena.

Paris: Signaling the beginning of the withdrawal of its military forces, France flew out the two Mirage fighter jets it had stationed in Chad on Tuesday. The move comes right after Chad broke off its defence cooperation agreement with Paris.

The decision by Chad is another blow to what remained of France’s military influence in the troubled stretch of countries below the Sahara, where Russia’s influence has been growing.

Chad's President Mahamat Deby said the decision to terminate the country's military pact with France was taken because it had become outdated, in his first public remarks since the surprise announcement last week.

France flew out the two Mirage fighter jets it had stationed in Chad on Tuesday, signaling the beginning of the withdrawal of its military forces from the former French colony in Central Africa that last month broke off its defense cooperation agreement with Paris.

France has started the withdrawal of its military from Chad with the departure of two warplanes that were based in the capital N’Djamena, the French army said, two weeks after Chad said it was ending its defence cooperation pact with Paris.

France flies its 2 Mirage fighter jets out of Chad, signaling beginning of its military withdrawal from African country