Hungarian president floats sending troops to Chad

Hungarian far-right president Victor Orban said he plans to send 200 soldiers to Chad to help curb migration.

He made the remark following a meeting with Chad’s president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in Budapest.

Chad plays a vital role in the campaign against migration, Orban said on Facebook.

“Migration from Africa to Europe cannot be stopped without the countries of the Sahel region. That is why Hungary is building a partnership with Chad. We are working on this today and tomorrow with President Deby,” Orban said.

Hungary is among the European countries with a tough stance against migrants and asylum seekers from Africa and the Muslim world.

However, many analysts see in Orban’s fixation on migration a pretext for pursuing economic goals in the Sahel, following the example of Russia.

Orban, who is distrusted by conventional European leaders, wants to project power in an area where French and German troops have been expelled.

Landlocked Hungary is also seeking a foothold in the minerals rich Sahel. Hungary has attracted investments by China’s BYD and BMW- to mention but a few- to build electric car plants and needs strategic metals such as cobalt and Lithium. Hence the need to have a foothold in Sub-Saharan Africa.