661:, French airplanes participated in reconnaissance missions to determine the scope of Sudanese involvement. The French forces also played a small but important part in the battle of N'Djamena, where they provided logistical support to the government but without taking sides in the fighting. They also provided the Chadian army with intelligence on the enemy's movements, and fired warning shots near the rebel column.
499:, which put an end to the conflict. While long negotiations between the two parties started, the French continued to fortify their positions in Chad, including completion of an air strip at Abéché in September. The French started assuming humanitarian tasks, such as mine-clearing in northern Chad; it was during one of these missions that Operation Épervier reported on its first loss on January 14, 1988.
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for French policy also brought France to become more critical of Habré's bad human rights record. Habré moved to free himself from French tutelage by seeking friendship with the United States. Relations between Paris and N'Djamena diminished, to the point that the French decided to remain neutral in
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In what appears to have been an escalation, Libyan forces raided the French-Chadian base of Kalaït on
January 11; it was the first direct attack on the French contingent, which suffered no losses. Additionally, Gaddafi prepared a vast offensive: he added 4,000–6,000 troops to the 8,000 men stationed
345:
B attacked the airport at N'Djamena. The bomber ran into technical problems on its return journey. U.S. reconnaissance planes based in Sudan monitored distress calls sent by the pilot of the Tu-22 that probably crashed before reaching its base at Aouzou (it may have been hit by twin-tubes that fired
594:
In theory, Operation Épervier, originally created to contain Libyan expansionism, should have come to an end with the settlement of all issues among the two countries; but Chad came to be seen as the "French aircraft carrier of the desert", of key strategic importance as one of the five countries
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The
Chadian–Libyan conflict officially came to an end in October 1988, when Chad resumed formal diplomatic relations with Libya, in accordance with recommendations made by the OAU. As a result, the French contingent started decreasing in size. Cost was another reason for a decrease in France's
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remained open, and when Habré occupied Aouzou on August 8, the French contingent was once again involved. On August 25, Gaddafi's forces bombed Faya-Largeau, where a French parachute regiment was stationed, but damage was minimal. Habré started new offensive, on
September 7 a
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militia (1,500 to 2,000 men) and the Libyan army, who had 8,000 men in Chad, the situation changed. Overwhelmed by superior forces, Goukouni's forces were in peril; this led France to plan a mission to help the
Tibesti rebels. On the night of September 16th and 17th, two
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battery. A simultaneous Libyan attack on Abéché was more successful, if not very effective, owing to the inadequacy of the French Air Force SAM Crotale battery recently deployed. France decided not to react to these attacks, to prevent an escalation.
439:, exactly on the 16th parallel, manned by 250 troops. France's reaction was to bomb again on January 7 the airbase of Ouadi Doum: the fourteen aircraft employed in the operation destroyed the Libyan radar station, but limited themselves to this.
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For months the troops remained largely inactive, and the air force limited itself to reconnaissance missions for the
Chadian army, remaining careful not to cross the 16th parallel. But when in October the leader of the GUNT
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Déby occupied the
Chadian capital on 3 December 1990, with the French maintaining themselves neutral. The increasing pillaging in the city did cause the troops to react: they secured the city's key-points (the airport, the
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badly damaged the Ouadi Doum airbase, a strategic air base in Chad from which Libyan planes could attack N'Djamena and hamper the deployment of troops. On
February 17, 1986, in retaliation for the Ouadi Doum air raid, a
463:, the main Libyan stronghold in Chad, was taken without fighting on March 27. In this recapture of Northern Chad, France did not officially take part in the fighting; but it is believed that a special unit of the
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questioned them in April 1996 on this continued presence, the official answer was that Opération Épervier was being used to assist the democratic process in Chad, and also as an internal and external deterrent.
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Habré concentrated most of his forces near Fada; and when on March 18 the Libyan offensive was at last started the result was a disaster for
Gaddafi. 1,200 Libyans were killed and 500 taken prisoner, and
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refugees: "If after June we can't guarantee the security of our citizens and the refugees, then it is up to the international community to find another country to shelter these refugees".
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With Déby in power, while Franco-Chadian relations remained good, those with Libya deteriorated considerably. Gaddafi sent a request to Déby for the deportation to Libya of the
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and components of
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Operation Épervier began on the night of
February 13th and 14th 1986, under the defence agreement between France and Chad, and was prepared during a meeting in
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447:. In the meantime, the French also strengthened their forces; in February Operation Épervier reached 2,200 men and established two new bases at
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354:(1983–1984). The commandos secured the camp for the mission's air force. The air force arrived the night of the 18th and was composed of six
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The threat represented by Sudan and its proxies had already brought the French forces to increase their units to 1,200 troops based near
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visited the town of Faya-Largeau, the policy of respect of the 16th parallel by the French troops was declared no longer applicable.
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Libyan expulsion from Chad did not end the Chadian–Libyan conflict: the dispute over who was the rightful possessor of the
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missiles. To defend the capital and the camp against high altitude air attacks a battery of French Army Air Defense
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507:. In 1989 the number of men deployed to Chad had fallen to 1,000, and many minor bases had been dismantled.
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In 2006, President Déby responded to increasing instability by threatening to expel the 200,000 Sudanese
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The operation's key roles since have been logistical support in the restructuring and reduction of the
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took possession of Camp Dubut, near N'Djamena, which had previously been France's headquarters during
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that a small number of French soldiers had secretly entered the Tibesti to support Goukouni's men.
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and was threatening the capital; a new offensive had been started on 10 February by Libyan leader
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missiles. Gaddafi answered by violating the red line of the 16th parallel; Libyan planes bombed
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On September 11, the Chadian and Libyan governments accepted a ceasefire mediated by the
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the conflict that started in April 1989 between the President and his former general
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military presences: in 1987 alone, Operation Épervier had cost France 1.7 billion
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was sent to bomb the capital, but the aircraft was destroyed by the French Army
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missiles arrived on March 3, and shortly afterwards a radar was stationed at
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invasion that had resulted in the loss of all Chadian territory north of the
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rebels or an invasion by their chief tactical and financial supporters, the
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rebelled against Gaddafi, and vicious fighting erupted in the
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30:"Operation Sparrow" redirects here. For the NGO mission, see
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On 2 January 1987 Habré's troops invaded the capital of the
807:"After Battle in Capital, Chad Threatens to Expel Sudanese"
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Auzou strip returned to Chad after a peace treaty in 1994
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in the belief that there would be no French reaction.
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On 1 August 2014, Operation Épervier was replaced by
346:in N'Djamena airport). On February 18, 200 French
766:"AU investigates if Sudan backing rebels in Chad"
515:Habré was an indirect victim of the fall of the
836:Elements francais au Tchad / French Forces Chad
748:"The French army helped the Chadian government"
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634:in the event of a large scale attack by the
548:) and evacuated its 1250 western civilians.
693:"France's Ties With African Leaders Fading"
333:was the first to strike: on February 16 an
264:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
750:. Le Figaro. 19 April 2006. Archived from
410:into the Tibesti. It was also reported by
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27:1986-2014 French military presence in Chad
695:. ABC News. 22 April 2006. Archived from
284:Learn how and when to remove this message
781:"Rebels Are Repelled in Capital of Chad"
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727:"Library | Amnesty International"
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890:Military operations involving France
262:adding citations to reliable sources
636:United Front for Democratic Change
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875:Battles of the Chadian–Libyan War
650:reconnaissance planes and three
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60:13 February 1986 – 1 August 2014
32:Operation Sparrow (Sea Shepherd)
519:. The diminished importance of
565:International Court of Justice
455:(Camp Moll), in eastern Chad.
314:. Its goal was to contain the
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805:Lacey, Marc (15 April 2006).
779:Lacey, Marc (13 April 2006).
584:presidential election of 1996
834:French Ministry of Defence,
511:New president in Chad, 1990s
402:, munitions, provisions and
398:parachuted 6,000 litres of
92:Libyan invasion stalled to
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615:New Sudanese threat, 2000s
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163:Second Battle of N'Djamena
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885:Military history of Libya
838:, accessed September 2008
644:Chadian–Sudanese conflict
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880:Military history of Chad
559:was orchestrated by the
309:French Defence Minister
226:Chadian–Libyan conflict
143:Chadian–Libyan conflict
47:Chadian–Libyan conflict
445:Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti
408:anti-aircraft missiles
335:air raid on Ouadi Doum
216:from 1986 until 2014.
768:. CNN. 21 April 2006.
754:on November 18, 2006.
657:Before and after the
588:Amnesty International
388:People's Armed Forces
81:Diplomatic Gains for
258:improve this section
848:Relief in N'Djamena
659:Battle of N'Djamena
853:2021-02-27 at the
842:Opération Epervier
716:, 18 February 1986
710:The Ottawa Citizen
673:Operation Barkhane
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601:Ivory Coast
526:Idriss Déby
517:Berlin Wall
489:MIM-23 Hawk
368:MIM-23 Hawk
312:Paul Quilès
189:Tibesti War
864:Categories
733:2012-07-04
679:References
194:Toyota War
621:N'Djamena
575:to Chad.
569:The Hague
404:anti-tank
356:Mirage F1
348:Commandos
298:N'Djamena
245:does not
851:Archived
597:Djibouti
413:Le Monde
400:gasoline
393:Transall
372:Moussoro
307:and the
208:was the
176:Épervier
65:Location
714:Page A7
648:Breguet
605:Senegal
557:Nigeria
542:embassy
449:Biltine
443:in the
384:Tibesti
364:Crotale
358:, four
266:removed
251:sources
816:20 May
790:20 May
544:, the
521:Africa
453:Abéché
437:Kalaït
421:Ennedi
360:Jaguar
316:Libyan
157:Tacaud
83:France
77:Result
609:Gabon
433:Arada
429:MILAN
340:LARAF
169:Manta
87:Libya
818:2010
792:2010
530:DGSE
465:DGSE
451:and
425:Fada
406:and
329:The
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