FEATURE: Chad’s TMC supports AU’s call for ’democratic transition’ of power

General Mahamat Déby and the TMC support the AU’s calls for a “democratic transition” of power through institution of a transitional government. Including opposition party members indicates the TMC’s willingness to develop a civilian government and support a peaceful transition of power.

CAPE TOWN, June 15 (ANA) – Following the announcement of President Idriss Déby’s sudden death in April, the Chadian Transitional Military Council (TMC), that is led by his 37-year-old son Lieutenant-General Mahamat Déby, has taken control of the country.

The move has been criticised by opposition politicians who have called it a “coup” and have been followed by many Chadians rejecting the takeover.

In a rare show of solidarity, opposition parties, civil society organisations and the country’s main trade union have rejected the TMC and have called for talks that include armed groups, according to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

On April 27, the public responded to calls for demonstrations by political parties and civil society organisations. The activists, mostly made up of the youth, marched peacefully in the cities of Sarh and Koumra in southern Chad on May 2, a multilingual news media service Africanews reported.

Last month, the ISS said a security force crackdown on the protests against military rule in Chad that led to nine deaths, several dozen injuries and numerous arrests, cast doubt on the TMC’s willingness to hold the inclusive dialogue needed to resolve the country’s political instability.

Several witnesses said security forces fired tear gas and also that passing military vehicles fired live ammunition into the crowds.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International has urged authorities to launch impartial and independent investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The United Nations (UN) rights office, OHCHR, has condemned the killings, saying it is deeply disturbed by security forces’ use of live ammunition during recent protests.

According to the ISS, the TMC has made key appointments, ignoring the dialogue for which many sections of Chadian society have called.

Then on May 20, the African Union (AU), a continental body of African countries, called for a “democratic transition” for the Chad government within 18 months, according to the Organisation for World Peace (OWP).

The TMC currently consists of 40 ministers and deputy ministers and a new National Reconciliation and Dialogue Ministry. The new ministry is led by Acheick Ibn Oumar, a former rebel leader who has served as a diplomatic advisor to Deby’s administration since 2019.

The TMC has kept several of the late president’s cabinet members and has named an opposition figure, Mahamat Ahmat Alhabo, the justice minister.

The 68-year-old Déby, who died of injuries sustained while fighting rebels in the north of the Sahel was viewed as an invaluable leader in Chad and an important figure in the fight against extremist groups in the Sahel region. He had been in power for three decades and was looking to extend his three-decade rule despite mounting calls for political change.

According to OWP, his efforts in Nigeria and Libya against Boko Haram, the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) rebellion, and other groups have been instrumental in stopping the groups from expanding further in the region.

While many criticised his “iron-fist” leadership and “style of dictatorship,” his participation and success in the fight against terrorism in the region gave many people reason to accept his authority.

The OWP further has said his death poses a potential danger to Chad and the Sahel, especially regarding preventing the spread of Boko Haram. Nigerian president Muhannadu Buhari said Deby’s death created “a vacuum in the efforts to jointly confront Boko Haram terrorists and the Islamic State West Africa Province.”

His death, many experts say, will test the nation’s stability, especially given the nature of the transition. The nation’s stability is also a concern for many citizens of Chad who took to the streets following the TMC’s control of the nation in late April. The protesters expressed concerns for the fairness of the upcoming transition and concerns about increases in conflicts with groups such as FACT.

After citizens took to the streets following the military council’s takeover, the junta banned protests citing a threat to public order and a need to mourn the passing of their president.

The AU also voiced concerns over the protests and the “violence, insurrection, and rebellion, and the heightened insecurity and political tensions” in the Sahel region stemming from the conflicts in Libya.

Following the protests and concerns from the AU, the TMC announced the installation of a transitional civilian government in late April.

The transitional government is headed by Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke, president of the National Rally for Democracy, an opposition party in Chad.

According to ISS, Padacke has chosen a government that contains two important opposition parties but doesn’t reflect the broad inclusion that the opposition and civil society want.

Junta spokesperson Azem Bermandoa Agouna also has announced that at least three other opposition members are part of the transitional government.

The ISS says that these appointments, including that of Padacke, confirm the military’s desire to perpetuate the former president’s rule, that is based on family, clan, army and political allies.

General Déby and the TMC support the AU’s calls for a “democratic transition” of power through their institution of the transitional government.

Including opposition party members indicates the TMC’s willingness to develop a civilian government and support a peaceful transition of power, they say.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Naomi Mackay