Chad: Déby's son officially holds the position of "President of the Republic"

The Transitional Military Council (CMT) established Tuesday after the death of Idriss Déby Itno will take control of power during a transition period of 18 months before “free and democratic elections”.

It is the son of Idriss Déby, General Mahamat Idriss Déby who will occupy the functions of President of the Republic during this period, according to a Charter of the Transition published Wednesday on the site of the presidency.

The Transitional Charter abrogates the previous Constitution and will be executed as “fundamental law of the Republic”, according to the terms of the document.

The National Assembly was dissolved.

Mahamat Idriss Déby, a 37-year-old corps general is also “the supreme commander of the armed forces” will have full powers.

He will chair “the transitional military council, the council of ministers, the higher councils and committees of national defense”.

It is he who promulgates the laws adopted by the 69 members of the National Transitional Council, appointed (and possibly dismissed) directly by him.

The Transitional Military Council assured that it wanted to "guarantee national independence, territorial integrity, national unity, respect for international treaties and agreements," the army announced.

Always under the threat of the rebels

The national funeral of Idriss Déby Itno, who died at 68, will take place on Friday in N'Djamena in the presence of many heads of state and government. Idriss Déby's regime was considered by Westerners, in particular France, the former colonial power, as an essential partner in the war against jihadists in the Sahel. Chad, landlocked between failed states such as Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic, is a major contributor in terms of soldiers and armaments in this conflict.

France "is losing a courageous friend", announced the Elysee Palace in a press release, stressing the importance of a "peaceful transition" and its "firm attachment to the stability and territorial integrity" of Chad. For his part, the head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian called for a military transition of "limited duration" which will lead to a "civil and inclusive government".

For their part, the rebels again promised to march on N'Djamena and “categorically” rejected the transitional military council led by the son of the late president. "We categorically reject the transition [...] We intend to continue the offensive," assures Kingabé Ogouzeimi de Tapol, spokesperson for the Front pour l'alternance et la concorde au Tchad (FACT), adding: "Chad is not a monarchy. There must not be a devolution from father to son ”. "We leave 15 to 28 hours for the sons of Déby to bury their father as is the tradition", he added.