Since November 2023 and the announcement by the defense ministers of the two countries of a deployment of 200 Hungarian soldiers in Chad, a new language has come to mingle with French and English in the corridors of the large hotels in N’ Djamena, the Chadian capital. The Parliament in Budapest then defined the official contours of this military mission – strengthening the capacities of the Chadian army and supporting the fight against terrorism – while leaving the modalities of the deployment of troops unclear. The date of their arrival could nevertheless become clearer soon as delegations of Hungarian diplomats and officers shuttle more and more regularly between the two capitals.
In the meantime, Hungary is unveiling a battery of development projects in sectors as diverse as water supply, the manufacture of prescription glasses and the processing of camel milk. Projects notably financed by a loan of 200 million euros, announced during the visit of President Mahamat Idriss Déby to the Hungarian capital in September. In November, Hungarian diplomacy even planned to bring together in N’Djamena the special envoys for the Sahel of the member states of the European Union (EU).
“A key country in the fight against immigration”
In the background of this new relationship with N’Djamena, Viktor Orban’s desire to strengthen the fight against illegal immigration, which he has made his hobby horse for his presidency of the EU. “Chad is a key country in the fight against illegal immigrationdeclared the Hungarian Prime Minister on his X account at the end of the Chadian president’s visit. Migration from Africa to Europe cannot be stopped without the Sahel States. »
Budapest’s first intention was to initiate this fight from Niger, but the coup d’état of July 2023 against President Mohamed Bazoum prompted it to turn to N’Djamena. Chad is, however, neither a departure country nor a major transit country for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, but Hungary considers it a pole of stability allowing them to expand into the region.
While they are often opposed on European issues, the Hungarian analysis converges here with that of France, which, after the expulsion of its soldiers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, wants to avoid destabilization at all costs. of its last ally in the Sahel.
The arrival of this new actor initially aroused obvious distrust in Western chancelleries due to the proximity between Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a context where Russia continues to extend its influence in the region. “It is simply absurd that Hungary can represent the interests of Russia or any other country in the Sahel”contested on his account X Mathé Laszlo Eduard, the Hungarian special envoy for the region.
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