Chad’s transitional military council on Sunday said it was not ready to negotiate with the rebels who are being blamed for killing the country’s president of three decades Idriss Deby, reported VOA News.
In an interview with the Associated Press, a spokesman for the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) rebel group said it was now joining forces with other armed groups who oppose President Deby Itno’s son, Mahamat, taking control of the country following his father’s killing.
In response, the military spokesman, Gen. Azem Bermandoa Agouna, said the rebels were seeking to collaborate with several groups of jihadists and traffickers who served as mercenaries in Libya.
“Faced with this situation that endangers Chad and the stability of the entire sub-region, this is not the time for mediation or negotiation with outlaws,” Agouna said, adding “They are rebels, which is why we are bombing them. We are waging war, that’s all.”
Chad’s military junta claimed that the FACT rebel group leader Mahamat Mahadi Ali had fled into Niger and it appealed to help from its neighboring country to help in tracking him down.
“Chad calls for the cooperation and solidarity of Niger … to facilitate the capture and bringing to justice of these war criminals,” Agouna said.
Earlier this month, the FACT rebel fighters came over the northern border from Libya to call for an end to Deby’s long presidential term. They reached close to 200-300km (125-185 miles) from N’Djamena, before being forced to return by the Chad army.
According to Chad’s army, Deby reportedly died while leading troops against the rebel offensive, in which hundreds of FACT rebels were killed. After Deby’s sudden death, a military council led d by his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, came to power and said it would oversee an 18-month transition to elections.
Chad’s civil society groups and opposition have demanded the dissolution of the Transitional military council.
