N'DJAMENA — Chad's new military leaders received backing
from France on Thursday despite protestations from the political opposition and
some army officers as rebels geared up to resume an offensive on the capital.
اضافة اعلان
A military council led by General Mahamat Idriss Deby took
over power after Deby's father, Chad's long-ruling leader Idriss Deby, was killed
in battle with the Libya-based rebels on Monday.
Dignitaries from across the region were due to start
arriving on Thursday for Deby's funeral ceremony on Friday, after the rebels
said they had ended a brief ceasefire at midnight and were about 200-300km from
the capital.
General Deby, 37, has said the army will hold democratic
elections in 18 months, but opposition leaders have condemned his takeover as a
coup d'etat and an army general said many officers were opposed to the
transition plan.
France, Chad's former colonial ruler, defended the military
takeover on Thursday, saying it was necessary for security amid
"exceptional circumstances".
French Foreign Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian said the military
was justified in its actions as the speaker of parliament had declined to take
charge.
"Logically, it should be (speaker Haroun) Kabadi...but
he refused because of the exceptional security reasons that were needed to
ensure the stability of this country," Le Drian told France 2 television.
Deby, although criticized by human rights groups for his
repressive rule over three decades, was a lynchpin in France's security
strategy in Africa.
Divided ranks?
Dissent within the military has raised concerns about
stability in Chad.
"Kaka (Mahamat Deby) only has partial support of the
army. He is young and, unlike his father, has never been a rebel," said
Jerome Tubiana, an analyst specializing on Chad.
"Within the army, there's indeed (at least) two
groups."
Deby, 68, was killed on Monday on the frontline against
fighters of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (
FACT), a group formed by
dissident army officers in 2016 which says it is pro-democracy.
The group warned foreign leaders invited to Deby's funeral
on Friday, which include French President Emmanuel Macron, not to attend for
their security.
Ten African heads of state including Democratic Republic of
Congo's Felix Tshisekedi and Guinea's Alpha Conde were due to arrive on
Thursday for the funeral, the government said.
Despite the rebel threat, people went about their business
as usual in N'Djamena on Thursday, with some saying they were frustrated and
worried about the situation.
"We are tired of war. We have seen what is happening in
neighboring countries like Libya, CAR, Nigeria and Niger. Every time we find
peace to construct the country, a band of discontented people sets us
back," said Issa Mahamat Oumar, a resident of N'Djamena.
Even if FACT is not powerful enough to take on the new
military council, the risk of instability is high, said a Western diplomat who
spoke on condition of anonymity.
"This rebel group on its own may not be enough of a
threat to bring down the government. But other groups might exploit this
moment," he said. "Young Deby will probably have to strike some deals
to get enough people behind the transition."
Read more
region & world
.jpg)
.jpg)
