Marine Le Pen hadn't listed a trip to Chad on her public agenda. But she will travel to the African country for three days, from Friday to Sunday, accompanied by Louis Aliot, vice president of her far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, and Renaud Labaye, a senior unelected official from the party's parliamentary group. The discreet trip was revealed by the online newsletter Africa Intelligence, and the far-right party confirmed it to Le Monde. Reporters were not allowed to accompany her – except for one magazine, which was promised "exclusivity." The program should essentially consist of a trip to Amdjarass, a small town in north-eastern Chad that is the stronghold of the Déby family, which has held power in the country for 35 years. There, Le Pen will meet President Mahamat Idriss Déby, who is spending part of the month of Ramadan there.

Although Le Pen had extolled Africa as "France's top international priority" during her last two presidential campaigns, her visit to the Sahel region comes in contrast with her discretion, in recent weeks, in the face of the current geopolitical shockwaves provoked by US President Donald Trump. What's more, it could serve as an opportunity for her to appear alongside Déby, a leader who has made a swift and surprising break with his country's historic ties to its former colonial power, all while forging closer relations with Paris's rivals in Africa, such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Russia.

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