Chad then holds President Idriss Deby Itno’s funeral on Friday amid rising tensions as rebels say they do not recognize the slain president’s son as the new leader and threaten to oust him.
The country is facing an uncertain future. Both opposition leaders and rebels accused of killing Deby say they are unhappy with what they say means a coup after power was handed over to Deby’s son, 37-year-old Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, to lead an 18-month transition period.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi were among the heads of state at the ceremony for the late president who ruled the Central African nation for 30 years and died at the age of 68.
Deby, a key ally of Western countries in the fight against extremism in Africa, was fatally injured this week as he visited the front line in the fight against the rebels, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.
The military council led by his son has some support from the army. Mahamat Idriss’ Deby Itno is just one year older than his father was when his rebel forces overthrew the president in 1990. Many fear he will remain after the 18-month transition period.
Opposition parties have demanded respect for the constitution, leaving it to the President of the National Assembly to secure an interim government. But in a statement attributed to the president of the National Assembly on Wednesday, he said he supported the decision to bypass him and instead appoint the military council to lead the transition.
France, which bases its regional terrorist operations in Chad, has stressed the importance of a peaceful transition. Chad has provided key troops to regional forces fighting extremists in northern Mali, which has been called the most dangerous UN peacekeeping mission in the world. Deby’s death was announced hours after he was confirmed to have won a sixth term after facing minimal opposition. Several contestants chose to boycott the vote on April 11 and feared it would be rigged.
The rebel group is said to have killed Deby, known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad. It has threatened to oust Deby’s son and claims that progress is being made in the capital and its 1 million people. The rebel group’s claim could not be independently verified. The ruling transitional military council has warned that the fight was not yet over for control of Chad.
The group, known by its acronym FACT, said on Friday that the Chadian military carried out a bombing raid Wednesday through Thursday using French surveillance systems that it said were intended to kill its leaders. However, it said the attempt had failed and called on the international community to examine France’s role in supporting the transition leadership.
The French armed forces told the Associated Press (AP) on Friday that “there has not been a single strike by the French army in Chad this week.” After the state funeral and prayers at the Grand Mosque in N’Djamena, Deby’s body will fly to Amdjarass, a village about 1,000 kilometers from the capital.
Although he led an oil-producing country, critics condemned Deby for using proceeds against his military and weapons rather than aid to the Chadians.
Despite criticism of his autocratic rule, Western countries consistently looked the other way as Deby’s army became a key player in the fight against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region and against extremists in the Sahel.
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