French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not allow anyone to threaten Chad, as he attended the funeral of the country’s president, Idriss Deby, who was killed on the battlefront while fighting rebels this week.
Macron said in a speech at Deby’s funeral today, Friday, “We will not allow anyone to threaten the stability and territorial integrity of Chad … neither today nor tomorrow.”
Foreign leaders flocked to Chad to attend Deby’s funeral, while France backed the country’s new military leadership amid rebel threats to march on the capital.
General Mohamed Idris Deby took power to succeed his father, who ruled the country for 30 years and was a close ally of Western powers in their fight against Islamist extremist groups.
General Deby, 37, said the army would hold democratic elections within 18 months, but opposition leaders condemned his rise to power and considered his declaration a coup, and one army general said many officers opposed the country’s transition plan.
