Transition Government Announced as Chad Braces for Violent Clashes
The late president of Chad Idriss Deby (center) and his son General Mahamat Idriss Deby (right). Source: STR/AFP via Getty Images
On April 20, 2021 a military spokesperson for Chad announced that the President Idriss Deby had died visiting troops battling the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), a rebel group, in the north. Immediately, a military council led by Deby’s son General Mahamat Idriss Deby took control of the country. Their first actions included disbanding parliament, closing the borders, and instituting a curfew. The former president had ruled the country for 30 years and had just been re-elected to a sixth term despite claims of electoral fraud and intimidation in each election.
FACT is based in Libya and was founded in 2016 as the "birth of a new revolution in the north" with the goal of removing Deby from leadership. After the April 2021 elections, fighting began with Chadian troops in the northwest region of the country and as the rebels moved south towards the capital, N’Djemna, clashes between the rebels and military forces increased. Deby was visiting troops on the front lines of these clashes when he was wounded. In response to General Deby taking power after his father’s death, the rebels stated “Chad is not a monarchy. There is no dynastic devolution of power in our country.” Their goal shifted from father to son in an attempt to bring democracy to Chad.
Amidst the growing tensions, the United States and Great Britain removed non-essential personnel from their embassies and advised citizens to leave the country. In the week after President Deby’s death, demonstrations against the “institutional coup d’etat” rocked N’Djamena — over 650 people have been arrested and between 6-9 were killed. Fears of increased violence continue as Deby’s death creates a power vacuum in which many groups, including some extremists, are likely to be jockeying for position to fill it.
The military leaders have now officially announced a transition government and a goal of elections in 18 months to mixed reviews. Saleh Kabzabo, a senior opposition leader, has said that he will recognize the authority of the new government. The runner up in the presidential election, Albert Pahimi Padacke, was named interim prime minister. As part of the government, the ministry of reconciliation was formed and will be headed by a former rebel chief. Others have said they will not be satisfied until General Deby is removed and a civilian in place.
France in particular is paying careful attention to the developments. Chad hosts the French regional counterterrorism forces and the former-President Deby played a large role in regional peacekeeping and counter-extremism efforts in conjunction with both European and other African states. The U.S., France, and other European states have been accused by international media for overlooking Deby’s repressive policies because of his assistance in fighting al-Qaeda, ISIS affiliates, and Boko Haram in Mali and other states in the Sahel region. Whoever ultimately becomes the leader of Chad will have the unique ability to shape some of French and American counterterrorism policies in Africa by virtue of the historic relationship and bases that operate there today.