Mass trial begins in Chad over the death of former ruler Debi

N’Djamena, Chad (AP) — Chadian authorities on Tuesday began a massive trial of hundreds of alleged rebels accused of killing longtime President Idris Déby Itno, who died under unclear circumstances in 2021, two days after being elected to a sixth term.

In addition to the murder charges, 454 alleged members of the Front for Change and Accord rebel groups are also formally charged with terrorism, using child soldiers and undermining the integrity and security of Chad, according to defense lawyer Vunsia Wetada.

Déby ruled the country for more than three decades and died of unspecified injuries during an April 21, 2021 visit to troops fighting a rebel group that sought to gain control of the oil-rich Central African nation. Details of his death have not been released.

The suspects were arrested and held in Clessum Prison, about 20 kilometers east of the capital, N’Djamena, where the trial is taking place. The process is expected to last 10 days and is closed to the public. If found guilty, the defendants face life imprisonment.

Members of the rebel group are believed to have been armed and trained in neighboring Libya before moving to northern Chad in April. Déby was elected to a sixth term in the April 19, 2021 elections boycotted by leading opposition candidates. He died a few days later.

Déby seized power in 1990 when his rebel forces overthrew then-President Hissène Habré, who was later convicted of human rights abuses by an international tribunal in Senegal.

Within hours of Deby’s death, the Chadian military appointed his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, as interim leader of the country for what was to be an 18-month period. However, last year the government announced an extension of the transition period for another two years, prompting protests across the country.

The analyst described the mass trial, which began on Tuesday, as an attempt by Mahamat Idriss Deby to consolidate his power and show potential rivals that he is a worthy successor to his father.

“Debi is using repression to shore up his still-tentative position,” said Benjamin Hunter, Africa analyst at risk analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft. “But this method has never stopped uprisings in Chad before and is unlikely to be able to do so now.”

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