Chadian President's Funeral: Rebels Threaten To Occupy The Capital, Appeals To Foreign Heads Of State To Not Attend

Presiden Chad Idriss Deby. (Wikimedia Commons/Nicoleon)

JAKARTA - Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno was killed on Monday this week on the front lines in fighting against fighters from the Front for Change and the Libya-based Concord in Chad (FACT), a group formed by dissident army officers.

Deby's son, Mahamat Idriss Deby or Mahamat Kaka, was appointed interim president and commander of the armed forces by the Transitional Council of Military Officers, when rebel forces threatened to occupy the capital at Friday's funeral.

General Mahamat moved to consolidate his position on Wednesday, with the council issuing a new charter replacing the constitution that gives him the function of president and also appoints him as head of the armed forces.

In his first public comments since taking power, Mahamat said the army wanted to return power to the civilian government and hold free and democratic elections within 18 months.

"The military council has no ambition to rule the country alone," he said in a speech to representatives of political parties, which were posted on the presidential website.

The military also announced that it had reopened the Chadian border, which was closed after Deby's death.

FACT rebels rejected the military plan and said on Wednesday a ceasefire to honor and bury Idriss Deby would end at midnight.

"The national resistance force is more than ever determined to free the Chadian people from this heinous dictatorship," they said in a statement.

The statement also warned foreign heads of state against attending Deby's funeral on Friday for safety. The plan, French President Emmanuel Macron as an ally of Idriss Deby plans to attend, said a spokesman.

A spokesman for FACT, who is not linked to the jihadists, said his forces are now in the Kanem region some 200-300 km (125-190 miles) north of N'Djamena and their aim is to bring democracy to Chad after years of authoritarian rule under Idriss. Deby.

"We don't want to seize power to hold power. Our aim is for a democratic transition to become a reality," the spokesman said, adding the group was preparing to march in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad.

FACT claimed responsibility for the injuries that killed Idriss Deby Itno on Monday. He was wounded by gunfire in the village of Mele near the town of Nokou, more than 300 km (190 miles) north of N'Djamena, and evacuated to the capital where he later died, said a spokesman for FACT. The Chadian presidency has not commented on the exact circumstances of his death.