France Supports Chadian Military To Maintain Stability Of Power Transition

Chadian military troop cavalry vehicle. (Wikimedia Commons / Idriss Fall)

JAKARTA - French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian defended the takeover of power by the Chadian military after President Idriss Deby Itno died while visiting his troops who were fighting, Tuesday, April 20.

The son of slain Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Deby or Mahamat Kaka, took over as president and commander of the armed forces on Wednesday and dissolved the government and parliament amid threats of rebel groups Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) to occupy the capital N'Djamena , at the funeral of the late Idriss Deby, Friday, April 23 tomorrow.

Under the constitution, Chadian National Assembly Chairman Haroun Kabadi should be the interim president. But Kabadi said, given the military, security and political contexts, he agreed to a military transition with full clarity.

Le Drian said that with the position taken by Kabadi, the military takeover was justified.

"There are extraordinary circumstances. Logically, it should be Mr. Kabadi, but he refused for reasons of the extraordinary security needed to ensure the stability of this country," said Le Drian, as reported by Reuters on Thursday, April 22.

France is known to have around 5,100 troops based across the region as part of an international operation against Islamist militants, including its main base in N'Djamena.

Any instability in Chad, which has the region's most trained and formidable troops, would undermine efforts to combat Boko Haram in Lake Chad Basin and groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS in the Sahel.

General Mahamat Idriss Deby said Wednesday that the army wanted to return power to the civilian government and hold free and democratic elections within 18 months.

The plan is for Le Drian to accompany French President Emmanuel Macron to attend Idriss Deby's funeral, as well as hold talks with the military council.

He said his priority was for the military council to play a major role in ensuring stability and then turn its attention to a peaceful and transparent transition to democracy.

"This is the time to do it when state security is truly maintained," he said.