Will Chad be the next Western ally in Africa to fall?

Just outside the French army base in Abeche, a dusty city in eastern Chad, Mohamed Adam waits for his two toddlers. They had spots all over their faces so he took them to the French base, he says. “If you are sick sometimes they help.” Mr Adam, a taxi driver, is grateful. But even he questions France’s role in Chad. “We are not fully independent,” he says. “It’s 50% for us, 50% for France.” But he demurs when asked if all French troops should leave. Many others in Abeche are more hostile. Last year protesters tried to break into the base and ripped down the French flag, replacing it with Chad’s.