Chad - The African Mirror

Apr

2021

Chad’s new President Deby inherits crisis

AARON ROSS and DAVID LEWIS GENERAL Mahamat Idriss Deby had been tipped to take over Chad's leadership from his father some day. But the elder Deby's death on the battlefield has meant that day came sooner than expected. Although the army leadership put on a show of unity when the 37-year-old was presented on national television on Tuesday as the country's new president and army commander-in-chief, holding them together will be his prime challenge, analysts say. Most of the senior officers are of the same battle-hardened generation as his father. Mahamat Idriss Deby - also known as Mahamat Kaka -…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Chad rebels bombed ahead of Deby’s funeral

NEWS

MADJIASRA NAKO CHADIAN rebels said today their command centre was bombed on Wednesday night in an attempt to kill their leader, as the nation gathered to pay homage to slain President Idriss Deby who was killed on the frontline on Monday. The rebels have this month swept south across the desert from their bases in Libya towards N'Djamena, and say they are around 200-300 km (125-190 miles) from the Chadian capital. They called a temporary ceasefire to allow Friday's funeral for Deby to take place. It is being attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Guinean President Alpha Conde and several…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. embassy to withdraw staff as Chad rebels advance

NEWS

THE United States has ordered its non-essential staff in Chad to leave the African country as rebel fighters approached the capital on Sunday after early election results showed President Idriss Deby on course to extend his three-decade rule. Deby, who seized power in 1990 at the head of an armed rebellion, is a staunch ally of France and the United States in the fight against Islamist militants in the arid Sahel region. "Due to their growing proximity to N'Djamena and the possibility for violence in the city, non-essential U.S. government employees have been ordered to leave Chad by commercial airline,"…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Chad arrests soldiers accused of rapes in Niger

NEWS

CHAD’S government has announced that the soldiers accused of at least three rapes in Niger, including that of an 11-year-old girl, have been arrested and will face punishment. Chad has deployed 1,200 troops in neighbouring Niger as part of an international mission led by France to help combat Islamist militants. Chad's foreign ministry said the cases of alleged rape and sexual assault were isolated incidents and should not tarnish the reputation of the country's army or the mission in Niger. "The perpetrators have already been arrested and will suffer the necessary sanctions," it said in a statement. It did not…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Chad locks down capital for first time as COVID-19 cases rise

COVID-19

CHAD has locked down its capital N'djamena for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and has declared a dusk to dawn curfew due to a rise in infections, a decree signed by President Idriss Deby showed. The West African nation has until now reported a relatively low number of cases compared with other countries in the region, with 2,113 COVID-19 cases since March, and 104 deaths. President Idriss Deby New daily cases fell into the single digits in early December, according to Reuters data. It has risen to double digits in recent days, mostly in the…