The judicial process against nearly 400 alleged members of the rebel coalition Front for Alternation and Concord in Chad (FACT) for the death in April 2021 of the then president of the country, Idriss Déby, after he was shot while on the frontline in the north of the country, has started this Monday.
The N’Djamena Court of Appeal has started the trial in line with a law passed in March 2021 to create a specialized court to deal with acts of terrorism, Chadian news portal Alwihda has reported.
Chad’s Attorney General’s Office has argued during the hearing that «the country was the victim of an unjust attack by the rebel group» that resulted in «the assassination of numerous Chadian citizens, including the President of the Republic, Marshal Idriss Déby.»
«Justice is summoned today to address the case to bring Chad towards the rule of law,» he said in his opening remarks on the case, in which he highlighted the role of the police in arresting the suspects ahead of the trial.
The defendants, charged with terrorism, recruitment of child soldiers, undermining state security and murder, are alleged members of the FACT, a rebel coalition that launched a military offensive from its bases in Libya in April 2021.
Déby’s death led his son, Mahamat Idriss Déby, to take charge of the country by heading a military junta. Days before his death on the front lines, the electoral commission had confirmed the victory of the leader in the elections held on 11 April 202.
Déby, who came to power in 1990 through a coup d’état against the dictator Hissène Habré, had since won every election and twice amended the Constitution to allow him to continue to stand at the polls, including one in 2005 to end the two-term limit, reimposed in 2018, without being affected.
He was also considered as a key player on the African chessboard, a crucial ally in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel, which allowed him to weave alliances with Western countries that have given him support and essential funding to stay in power.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
