Netanyahu to visit Chad as Israel renews diplomatic ties with Muslim-majority African country

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will officially resume diplomatic ties with Chad during a visit to the Muslim-majority country on Saturday.

Netanyahu will meet with Chad's President Idriss Deby in the country's capital N'Djamena where the two leaders will formally declare the reestablishment of diplomatic ties.

It will be the first-ever visit by an Israeli premier to the African country.

Muslim-majority Chad cut-off ties with Israel in 1972, but Israel has been seeking to improve relations with countries across the world, including in Africa where Palestine has traditionally had strong support.

In November, Deby - one of Africa's longest-serving leaders - made a surprise visit to Israel in which he declared an interest in restoring ties.

"The relations between our countries were cut in 1972 for specific historic reasons, but our special relations continued all the time," Deby said during the trip.

"There will be additional visits to Arab countries soon," Netanyahu was quoted as saying during the talks with Deby.

Israel has recently actively pursued rapprochement with a number of countries in the region and in Muslim-majority parts of Africa, including a surprise visit to Oman in October by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The visit was followed by high-profile tour by senior Israeli ministers to the UAE and Oman, while Bahrain invited Israel's economy minister to a 2019 conference in the country.

In 2016, the Muslim-majority Republic of Guinea renewed diplomatic ties with Israel after cutting relations following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Netanyahu has travelled to Africa three times in the past two years, including to Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Liberia.