Chad’s President Lived and Died by the Gun. Will The Country Shift Away from Militarized Rule?

Author:  Marielle Debos

Affiliation: Institute for Social Sciences of Politics  (ISP)

Organization/Publisher: The Washington Post

Date/Place:  May 7, 2021/USA

Type of Literature: Analysis

Word Count: 1088

Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/07/chads-president-lived-died-by-gun-will-country-shift-away-militarized-rule/  

Keywords: Déby, Habré, Chad, Coup d’état, Rebel

Brief:

With the death of the Chadian president, Idriss Déby, a new political alternative supersedes the military one. The political and military career of Idriss Déby reflects Chad’s militarized politics. After obtaining a professional pilot’s license in France, Déby’s return to Chad in 1976 marked his political integration. With the Chadian Civil War in 1979, Déby joined Hissène Habré’s rebel movement. After almost a decade leading the Chadian military under Habré’s rule, the eve of the 1990s brought Déby to head of state after a coup against Habré. Since 1990, Déby had been a close ally to both France and the US. With his flexibility and cooperation in fighting terrorism, Déby got massive support from France and the US. Déby’s military services made both France and the US turn a blind eye to human rights violations and the military apparatus used against civilians. On the eve of his death, a rush succession brought Mahmat Idriss, Déby’s son, to power as a head of a transitional military council. As a consequence, Chadians took to the street rejecting a “military coup d’etat.” This rejection draws the attention that Chad is not doomed to being in the same path of military power, but a civilian political alternative has formed.

By: Imad Atoui, CIGA Research Associate