151st anniversary of the Battle of Bazeilles
On Thursday, 16 September 2021, on the parade ground of Cité Lamy, in N’Djamena, French marines stationed in Chad commemorated the 151st anniversary of the Battle of Bazeilles, in 1870, under the aegis of the deputy head of mission at the French Embassy.
The ceremony, organised by the French Embassy’s defence and military cooperation mission and presided over by the operations officer for Operation Barkhane, paid tribute to chief warrant officer Tchere Abite, surrounded by his family and comrades. The Chadian veteran fought under the French flag in Indochina and Algeria, before joining Chad’s national army when his country gained independence.
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© Ambassade de France au Tchad
Before senior French and Chadian military officials, a delegation of veterans, students of Lycée Montaigne and members of N’Djamena’s French community, four Chadian officers and NCOs were also decorated, in recognition of their service under the operational military partnership between France and Chad.
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© Ambassade de France au Tchad
This ceremony to commemorate a great feat of arms by the French marines was also an opportunity to celebrate Franco-Chadian friendship around brotherhood-in-arms.
Find out the story of the Battle of Bazeilles by watching an episode of the web series 1870
Find out more:
Read historical articles about the Franco-Prussian War
Visit our special page on the 15th anniversary of the Franco-Prussian War