YAOUNDE - Chad's Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah on Monday expressed "deep concern" over French president Emmanuel Macron's contemptuous comment about Africa.

The French president said African leaders had "forgotten to say thank you" to France for helping to combat extremist insurgencies in the Sahel.

"None of them would have a sovereign state if the French army had not deployed in this region," Macron said.

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Chad's top diplomat said in a statement that such remarks reflected "a contemptuous attitude" toward Africa and Africans.

"French leaders must learn to respect the African people and recognize the value of their sacrifices," Koulamallah said.

He said France did not build the Chadian army and that France had never contributed to its structural development. The Chadian people aspire to full sovereignty and true independence.

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French troops are in the process of pulling out of Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Chad, having already withdrawn from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.