FEATURE: Security concerns raised in Chad after Déby’s death

There are fears within the country that command and control over the armed forces may falter, especially as it has been reported that some senior officers are unhappy that another Déby is ascending to power.

CAPE TOWN, April 30 (ANA) – The death of Chadian President Idriss Déby and the claiming of power by the country’s military council could further destabilise both the Sahel and the Lake Chad regions, according to the International Peace Institute (IPI).

Déby, 68, was killed on the battlefield while fighting the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) rebel group in the north of the Sahel, according to the Chadian army.

Déby had been in power for three decades and was looking to extend his rule despite mounting calls for political change.

A military council led by Déby’s 37-year-old son, Mahamat Déby, forcefully seized power after the president was killed, a move that opposition politicians have called a “coup”.

Déby, who had just been re-elected for his sixth consecutive term in office, was also commander-in-chief of Chad’s military, one of the largest and most well-resourced militaries in West Africa.

Although his 31-year rule was marred by accusations of corruption and widespread poverty, Déby provided crucial support to Western countries in their counterterrorism efforts against Islamic militant groups in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel, according to the peace and security organisation.

Under Déby, Chad also received direct financial support from the United Kingdom, Russia, and the European Union for its annual budget, military training, arms and non-lethal equipment supply. Chad’s military earned praise from the international community for showing strength in the fight against insurgents in the region.

It was largely believed that these successes were due to the complete control and loyalty that Déby had from the military. But some of his excesses, including discrepancies in the treatment of elite military officers compared to other troops, and appointing mostly people from his own Zaghawa ethnic group into top military positions, seem to have created strong enough rifts that resulted in the apparent coup. Lingering tensions around the approaches Déby took with the military could pose a huge challenge for his son, IPI said.

Given Idriss Déby’s military policy, it doesn’t seem his son and successor, Mahamat, has inherited a unified military, according to the organisation. Already there are fears within the country that command and control over the armed forces may falter, especially as it has been reported that some senior officers are unhappy that another Déby is ascending to power. There are worries the younger Déby may continue along the same lines as his father, and perhaps be even more authoritarian.

Meanwhile, five people were killed as demonstrators took to the streets on Tuesday, demanding a return to civilian rule, according to international broadcaster Al Jazeera.

A coalition of civil society organisations and opposition parties also known as ‘Wakit Tama’ – meaning the time has come in the local Arabic language – called for protests on Tuesday, denouncing what they consider an “institutional coup” and “dynastic succession”.

On Monday, the government of Chad banned protests, saying no demonstrations that could lead to disorder were allowed while the country was still in mourning.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International has urged authorities to launch impartial and independent investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death of five people during the protest.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher