Main opposition parties, trade unions and rebel groups in Chad have rejected the appointment of Gen. Mahamat Idriss Deby as head of the Military Transition Council.
The parties described the decision to make the 37-year-old the successor to his father, former President Idriss Deby, who died on Tuesday, as “institutional coup.”
Rebels said “Chad is not a monarch” while unions called for dialogue and asked workers to stay at home until there is a resolution.
The country was gripped by mourning – even rebels are observing the mourning period, which the government gave as three months.
The rebels said they would halt their move to advance towards the capital for their Northern base.
The late President’s body is to be buried tomorrow and French President Emmanuel Macron is expected at the burial.
Mahamat, also known as “General Kaka”, was in charge of the presidential guard and is to lead the country for 18 months until elections.
The government and parliament have been dissolved, but constitutional experts say the speaker of parliament should take over when a sitting president dies before organising elections.
There are fears that Deby’s death could trigger political instability in the vast semi-arid country with a long history of rebellions and coup attempts.
Downtown N’Djamena is on full alert – with lots of tanks and other armoured vehicles along the perimeter of the presidential palace and parked at key junctions. Yesterday, shops and markets in the capital were open – though not as busy as usual – but children were not sent to schools.
People remained in shock, following President Déby’s death – even those opposed to him were stunned. The vast majority of the population is under 30 years of age and have never known any other president.
Nigeria has called for dialogue among the stakeholders in Chad and offered to mediate between the interim government and warring rebel groups for an early return to democracy and stability.
Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, in a statement, said Nigeria is willing to guide and mainstream the dialogue within the framework of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and ultimately, the African Union (AU).
He added: “The influence and relevance of Idriss Deby Itno lay in his capacity to make Chad act as a buffer between North Africa, the Sahel, East and West Africa and, in particular, containing the negative extreme tendencies that are domiciled in these regions. In the Lake Chad region, the late President Itno and Chad remained the strongest allies of Nigeria in the Multinational Joint Taskforce, the Lake Chad Basin Commission and in the fight against Boko Haram and insurgency.
“The great leader of Chad will be missed and glowingly remembered for his efforts to stabilise our subregions and maintain the peace and their socio-economic development.
“His demise could lead to vacuums that could implode in these subregions, hence the need to appeal to all stakeholders in Chad to embrace dialogue to resolve their differences in the interest of peace and the sustainable development of Chad.”
Source: The Nation
