Chad rebels threaten to depose the murdered president’s son

N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) – Rebels in Chad threatened to depose son of the country’s assassinated president after he was appointed interim leader of the strategic Central African nation, causing the specter of a violent power struggle on Wednesday cheerful.

It was uncertain how close the rebel column was to N’Djamena, the capital of 1 million people, or whether the army would remain loyal to Mahamat Idriss Deby after his father’s sudden death after three decades in power.

The rebel group that blamed the military for the murder of President Idriss Deby Itno said in a statement Wednesday that they gave his family until midnight to bury him. The hunters gave no indication of their position after saying the day before that they were “heading towards N’Djamena at this point.”

The group known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad again denounced Deby’s son who took the presidency.

“We call on all justice-loving Chadians to join us in this fight against the monarchization of our beloved republic,” the statement said.

The group’s claim that they are advancing towards the capital could not be independently verified, but it immediately caused panic in N’Djamena, which was attacked by another rebel group in 2008 before being repelled by government forces.

The ruling Transitional Military Council warned that the battle for control of Chad was not over yet.

“The security situation remains very serious given the persistence and magnitude of the terrorist threat,” said Council Vice President Djimadoum Tiraina, adding that the military must now “prevent the country from sinking into chaos and anarchy.”

But even as fears grew that the rebels could reach N’Djamena, plans went ahead for a state funeral on Friday for Deby, a key ally of former colonizer France. French President Emmanuel Macron is one of the heads of state expected to attend, French officials confirmed.

The rebels urged invited state leaders on Wednesday to “postpone the invitation for security reasons.”

During Deby’s reign, France established its regional military base in Chad to combat extremist violence in Africa. Deby also contributed invaluable troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in northern Mali, which sought to stabilize the country following France’s 2013 military intervention to drive Islamic extremists from power in the north.

Human rights groups say those contributions helped protect Deby from international criticism as his government became increasingly autocratic.

“For years, international players have supported the Deby government for its support of counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin and their involvement in other regional initiatives, while largely turning a blind eye to its legacy of oppression and violations of social and economic rights on home, ”Human Rights Watch said in a statement Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Deby was elected to a sixth term after minimal opposition as several challengers chose to boycott, fearing the vote would be manipulated. To thwart opposition activists, the internet in Chad was disrupted several times before and during the April 11 voting day.

Authorities now believe that the rebels blamed for the killing of Deby entered Chad from southern Libya on the same day.

A former army commander, Deby rose to power in 1990 when his rebels overthrew then-President Hissene Habre. Over the years, his government survived a number of armed uprisings until his death this week. An army spokesman said on Tuesday that Deby was killed while visiting the front lines of the fight against the latest rebel group to challenge his rule.

The rebels now targeting the capital are led by Mahamat Mahadi Ali, a longtime Deby adversary who formed the shadowy group known by the French acronym FACT in 2016 after leaving another rebel group, the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development.

Until earlier this month, FACT troops were stationed in southern Libya, where they claimed neutrality in the Libyan conflict. However, a recent UN expert report found that FACT forces in southern Libya were guarding Libyan military bases under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter.

The circumstances of Deby’s death could not be independently confirmed due to the remote location of the fighting. Some observers initially feared that a coup had taken place, as the military immediately handed over power to his son for an 18-month transitional period rather than following constitutional protocol.

His son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, 37, is best known as the top commander of the Chadian Armed Forces helping a UN peacekeeping mission in northern Mali. Some in N’Djamena are already wondering if 18 months in power will be enough for the younger Deby.

“There is a lot of uncertainty as to how events in Chad will unfold: whether the military will remain loyal to Deby’s son and continue efforts to repel the advancing rebels,” said Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Africa Center on the Atlantic Ocean. Council.

Chadians fed up after 30 years of Deby’s rule can also join the demands for a change of leadership, he said.

“In both scenarios, there is a high risk of civilian casualties and there is a good chance that fleeing civilians or soldiers could export Chad’s instability to neighboring states,” said Hudson.

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Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Sam Magdy in Cairo and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.

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