France officially ended its decades-long military presence in Chad, its last stronghold in the West African region. The shift is part of a larger movement to push France out of the area.

France handed over its last military base in Chad to local authorities on Thursday, two months after the former French colony in central Africa broke off its defense cooperation agreement with Paris.

The French army has handed over its last base in Chad in a military ceremony in the capital N'Djamena, the general staffs of both countries announced Thursday. The central African country in late November abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial ruler,

French forces have withdrawn from Chad after 65 years, although France maintains that military cooperation will continue.

The United States and France and some other Western countries stand accused of disrupting peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Protesters recently attacked the embassies of the U.S. and France in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. Several other foreign missions also came under attack on Tuesday.