The African Union has appealed to all relevant stakeholders to do everything possible to ensure a possible end to military rule in Chad, whose president was killed by rebels a fortnight ago.
Shortly after the death of the former dictator, the army immediately announced that Idriss Déby’s son would head a military council for 18 months before elections were held.
The recent twist is that former colonial power France, which has a large military base in Chad, appears to back the takeover for ‘stability‘ amid ‘exceptional circumstances‘.
Opposition parties have equally spoken out to also condemn what they have now termed a ‘dynastic coup’.
Read Also: Stability Of Chad Must Be Prioritised – African Union, EU
Trade unions has called for a general strike, while rebel group Fact said Chad was ‘not a monarchy‘.
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council voiced ‘grave concern‘ about the military takeover which put 37-year-old Gen Mahamat Déby Itno in charge and saw parliament dissolved.
The AU’s 15-member security body had delebrated the situation on Thursday but waited until after Déby’s funeral on Friday to issue its statement.
It said power should be restored to civilian authorities ‘expeditiously’.
According to the constitution, the speaker of parliament should take over in the event of the president’s death, and organize new elections.
Déby, 68, had just been elected for a sixth term in office when the army announced on Tuesday that he had been fatally wounded in a clash with rebel Fact fighters in the northern region of Kanem.
He was a key ally of France in the fight against jihadist groups across West Africa and French President Emmanuel Macron was among the foreign leaders and thousands of Chadians who paid their respects at his funeral.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
