Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, will be inaugurated as the country’s interim president in the capital city of N’Djamena on Monday, reported The Africa News.
On Saturday, Chad’s national forum, announced that Idriss, who took over in April last year after his father’s demise, would remain in power during the 2-year transition to elections.
Former President Deby died of gunshot injuries in April 2021 after he was hit while fighting rebels in the north. The ex-military officer had just won a sixth term after the provisional election results were declared. Following his death, the army appointed a Transitional Military Council with 15 generals that was headed by Deby.
At a ceremony held in the capital city on Saturday, the forum officially dissolved Chad’s Transitional Military Council, which had ruled the country for the past 18 months. The ceremony was boycotted by opposition members, leading armed rebel groups and civil society organizations.
The forum, among a raft of resolutions adopted under a revised transition charter, also ratified Deby’s right to seek for the presidency after the transition.
Deby had previously vowed to hand over power to an elected government after 18 months- a deadline that has not been achieved. The deadline was supposed to end in October.
In his speech during Saturday’s meeting, Deby pledged to work to achieve the prescribed deadlines for the return to constitutional order. He appealed to politico-military groups to choose peace and national harmony and promised to release all prisoners of war in exchange for a cease-fire and dialogue.
He urged Chad’s political parties and civil groups that boycotted the peace talks to back efforts aimed at uniting the country.
“I would like to remind them that the dialogue is a continuous process aimed to build a nation that brings us together at all times. You can join the process in the interest of our common future,” he said.
