Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Deby Itno over the weekend and talks continued on Monday, but no details were released.
Chad is crucial to curbing illegal migration, according to Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, who is seeking a partnership with the central African country.
One of the world’s poorest nations is also seen as vital to the fight against jihadists in the Sahel region.
Over the past year, Budapest has rapidly developed ties with N’Djamena, opening a humanitarian aid center and a diplomatic mission in the capital, as well as signing agreements in the fields of agriculture and education.
The government has also taken an unprecedented step: to help stabilize the situation in Chad, it plans to establish a 200-member military mission to train local forces and fight terrorism.
Russian mercenaries
Chad is the last country in the Sahel that still has French troops, after Paris was forced to withdraw from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years.
But in June, sources told AFP that Paris planned to reduce its military personnel to around 300 people by 18 million. in a populous country.
Several countries in the region have turned to Russia and its Wagner mercenary group for support as their military leaders have seized power in recent years.
Hungarian experts and opposition politicians have expressed fears that Budapest, which remains close to the Kremlin, could act on Russia’s behalf in the Sahel.
When asked about the mission, the Hungarian government denied that it “represents Russian or any other foreign interests in the Sahel”.
Opposition concerns
Despite disagreements with Budapest, the European Union has “favorably assessed” Hungary’s initiative in Chad.
Given the challenges the country faces internally and in the region, “it is important that more international partners work with Chad,” an EU spokesperson told AFP.
However, the military mission has been criticized inside Hungary, with opposition parties calling it “dangerous and wasteful”.
The Hungarian government has also faced accusations of nepotism after French newspaper Le Monde and Hungarian investigative website Direkt36 reported that the prime minister’s only son, Gaspar Orbán, took part in official negotiations behind closed doors.
Budapest dismissed the criticism, citing Orban’s “language skills” and experience as a Hungarian military captain. He was assigned as a “liaison officer assisting with the mission in Chad.”
One retired senior Hungarian officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed doubts about the mission, saying 200 troops would hardly make a difference in such a large country.
2024-09-09 20:58:15