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UPDATE 5-Chad in turmoil after Deby death as rebels, opposition challenge military

Published 21/04/2021, 13:01
Updated 21/04/2021, 19:36

* Rebels say they will march on capital
* Deby's son assumes presidency
* Opposition decries 'coup d'etat'
* Union calls for strike

(Adds new statement by FACT rebels)
By Madjiasra Nako and Mahamat Ramadane
N'DJAMENA, April 21 (Reuters) - The son of Chad's slain
leader Idriss Deby took over as president and armed forces
commander on Wednesday as rebel forces threatened to march on
the capital, deepening the turmoil in a country vital to
international efforts to combat Islamist militants in Africa.
The political opposition also denounced the military's
takeover of control, calling the move a coup d'etat and
rejecting its plan for a transition. Labour unions called for a
workers' strike.
Deby, 68, was killed on Monday on the frontline in a battle
against fighters of the Libyan-based Front for Change and
Concord in Chad (FACT), a rebel group formed by dissident army
officers.
His death shocked the nation and raised concerns among
Western allies, notably France and the United States, who had
counted on him as an ally in their fight against Islamist groups
including Islamic State and Boko Haram.
Deby had been in power since 1990 and had just been declared
winner of a presidential election that would have given him a
sixth term in office. His son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was
named interim president by a transitional council of military
officers. General Deby, 37, moved to consolidate his position on
Wednesday, with the council issuing a new charter in place of
the country's constitution granting him the functions of
president and also naming him as head of the armed forces.
In his first public comments since taking power, Deby said
the army wanted to return power to a civilian government and
hold free and democratic elections in 18 months.
"The military council has no ambition to govern the country
alone," he said in a speech to political party representatives,
posted on the presidency website.
"The Transitional Military Council will work to consolidate
democracy, assure peace and stability, guarantee security and
the integrity of the national territory."
The military also announced it had re-opened Chad's borders,
which were closed after Deby's death.
The FACT rebels rejected the military's plan and said on
Wednesday that a pause in hostilities they are observing to give
time for Deby to be buried would end at midnight.
"The forces of national resistance are more than ever
determined to deliver the Chadian people from this abominable
dictatorship," they said in a statement.
The statement also warned foreign heads of state against
going to Deby's funeral on Friday "for imperatives of security".
French President Emmanuel Macron plans to attend, a spokesman
said on Wednesday.

OVER THE BORDER
A spokesman for FACT - which is not linked to jihadists -
said its forces were now in Kanem region about 200-300 km
(125-190 miles) north of N'Djamena and their aim was to bring
democracy to Chad after years of authoritarian rule by Deby.
The fighters poured over the vast country's northern border
last weekend.
"We don't want to seize power to hold power. Our objective
is for democratic transitions to be a reality," the spokesman
said. He said the group was preparing to march on N'Djamena to
"free the people from a system that is undemocratic".
FACT claimed responsibility for the injuries that killed
Deby on Monday. An ex-army officer who often joined soldiers on
the battlefront, Deby was visiting troops who had held up the
rebel advance in intense fighting over the weekend.
He was wounded by gunfire in the village of Mele near the
town of Nokou, more than 300 km (190 miles) north of N'Djamena,
and evacuated to the capital where he later died, the FACT
spokesman said. The presidency has not commented on the exact
circumstances of his death.
Opposition politicians, many of whom boycotted the election,
and civil society organisations also called for a return to
civilian rule, while a coalition of other armed groups demanded
an inclusive national dialogue.
In a joint statement, about a dozen party leaders condemned
what they called "the institutional coup d'etat conducted by the
generals" and called for a civilian transition.
The main labour organisation, the Union of Syndicates of
Chad, also rejected the military takeover and called for a
strike.

FRENCH FRIENDS
Deby had won friends abroad by sending his well-trained army
to fight jihadists including Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin
and groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State in the Sahel.
His main ally, France, has about 5,100 troops based across
the region as part of international efforts to fight the
militants, including its main base in N'Djamena. The United
States also has military personnel there.
Regional powerhouse Nigeria's foreign minister said it was
willing to help facilitate dialogue, but that while an early
return to democratic rule was the ultimate goal, the immediate
objective was the stabilisation of Chad and the region.
Human Rights Watch criticised the West's relationship with
Deby, saying that for years it had propped up Deby's government
while turning a blind eye to his repression. In a statement, it
warned of the "potentially explosive consequences" of Déby's
death for Chad and the region.
In N'Djamena, where authorities imposed a nightly curfew
after Deby's death, schools and some businesses were open on
Wednesday but many people stayed home and streets were quiet.
A 14-day period of national mourning is being observed.
"We must make sure that this military council does not take
over power," said Djimadoum Ngarteri, a teacher, calling for all
sides to lay down weapons. "We Chadians are fed up. We do not
need people who take power with weapons."

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Who are the rebels threatening to take Chad's capital?
ID:nL1N2ME17H
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