Politics

Idriss Déby succeeds self in Chad, becomes president of transition government after postponing elections

Published

2 years ago

October 10, 2022

General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno was sworn in on Monday as president of a two-year transitional period in the Central African country.

Deby took the reins of the country after his father was killed during an operation against rebels in April 2021.

There was an initial 18-month transition plan to elections when President Deby seized power in April 2021 after his father, President Idriss Deby, was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents.

Debby, during his inauguration ceremony on Monday at the Palais du 15-Janvier in N’Djamena, said his “second phase of the transition” must lead “to the strengthening of our democracy” and the future government “will work body and soul to ensure that the will of the Chadian people does not suffer any deviation.”

He added that “elections [would be] organized in transparency and serenity to […] ensure the return to constitutional order.

In attendance at the inauguration were the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, several ministers from West and Central Africa (Niger, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo), the ambassadors of France and the European Union, but in the absence of the African Union (AU) representatives.

There has been restrain from the international community on the current political development in Chad, the AU had demanded on 19 September that the junta not extend the 18 months of transition, “and recalled unequivocally that no member of the Transitional Military Council can be a candidate in the elections at the end of the transition.

The European Union (EU) on its part also expressed its “concern” about the decisions to extend the transition and allow General Déby to run for the presidency,

Chad is one of the countries in Sub-Sahara Africa that has been regularly beset for decades by offensives from a multitude of rebel groups.

The country also features in the category of West African states like Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso currently under military rule with leading argument on the weak military institutions under civil rule, but not much seem to have been achieved under military rules as they all still witness fatal terror attacks.

Related Topics:#CHAD Featured Idriss Déby Mahamat Idriss Deby

Click to comment

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.