Bharti Airtel today said it is in talks with Orange to sell subsidiaries — Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone — in Africa. The huge debt of $10.67 billion and some of the delayed divestment deals are prompting Bharti Airtel to look for a buyer for its African telecom business. Investment in Africa was part of its strategy to expand presence in emerging telecom markets. The same strategy was followed by its rival Vodafone under the then CEO Arun Sarin. "Orange and Airtel have entered into an exclusive agreement to explore the possible acquisition by Orange of Airtel's subsidiaries in Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone. There is no certainty of any binding agreement as a result of these discussions," said Airtel in a statement issued in India. In 2010, Bharti Airtel entered the African telecom market through the acquisition of Zain.