N’DJAMENA — Rebels in northern
Chad are ready to observe a
ceasefire and to discuss a political settlement after the battlefield death of
President Idriss Deby last week, a rebel spokesman said on Sunday.
اضافة اعلان
The rebels, known as the Front for Change and Concord in
Chad (FACT), came over the northern border from Libya on April 11 calling for
an end to Deby’s 30-year rule. They came as close as 200-300 km (125-185 miles)
from the capital N’Djamena before being pushed back by the army.
Deby was killed on Monday while visiting troops at the
front, just after he won an election. His death shocked the Central African
country, which has long been a Western ally against Islamist militants.
The air force has since bombarded rebel positions, the
military and rebels said. The military said on Saturday it had “annihilated”
the rebels.
After Deby’s death, a military council headed by his son,
Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power and said it would oversee an 18-month
transition to elections. Opposition politicians called this a coup, and the
rebels said they would not accept a “monarchy”.
The military council is under pressure to hand over power to
a civilian transitional government as soon as possible. The African Union has
expressed “grave concern” about the military takeover, while France and
regional powers are pushing for a civilian-military solution.
A move towards temporary civilian-military rule could offer
Chad a way out of the crisis. Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum and Mauritanian
President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani are acting as mediators on behalf of the
African Union.
United Nations representatives are also holding talks with both
sides.
A consensus is emerging among opposition politicians and
civil society to support a transitional civilian president with a military vice
president or prime minister, they told Reuters.
The proposal would mirror a transition in Mali, where a coup
last August prompted international calls for the military to relinquish power.
A civilian president was appointed with a vice president from the military, although
the Malian opposition are still concerned about the military’s hold on power.
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