The government of Chad said Thursday, January 5 in a press release to have foiled a “attempt to destabilize” aimed at undermining the“constitutional order and the institutions of the Republic”.
“This plan was drawn up by a select group of conspirators made up of eleven army officers headed by the named Baradine Berdei Targuio, president of the Chadian Human Rights Organization [OTDH] »assured the government, specifying that the security services had carried out their “arrest from December 8, 2022”.
According to Aziz Mahamat Saleh, Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman, “a judicial investigation has been opened once morest these people for breach of the constitutional order, criminal association, illegal possession of firearms and complicity”.
“The investigating judge in charge (…) charged them (…) by placing them under warrant of deposit”underlines the press release of its services. “The legal procedure is following its course and the government intends to shed light on this affair and locate the responsibilities”concludes the minister.
A history paved with coups
In February 2021, Baradine Berdei Targuio, had been sentenced to three years in prison for undermining the constitutional order for having written that the then president, Idriss Déby Itno, who died in April 2021 and father of the current president Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, was ” seriously ill “ et “hospitalized”.
Mr. Berdei Targuio is a well-known human rights activist in Chad and the OTDH was created in 2006. He was a regular critic of the Head of State and the regime on social networks social.
Propelled to power on the death of his father killed at the front once morest rebels on April 20, 2021 following having ruled the country with an iron fist for thirty years, General Mahamat Déby had dissolved Parliament, dismissed the government, abrogated the Constitution and promised to return power to civilians in elections “free and democratic”.
The 1is October 2022, Chad extended its transition period towards elections by a maximum of two years, maintaining Mahamat Déby as head of state, who will be authorized to run for the presidency.
On October 20, a demonstration once morest the power and the extension of the transition period left around fifty dead, according to the authorities, mainly in the capital, when the police opened fire on the slightest attempt to gathering.
The authorities then recognized the arrest of 601 people in the capital and their transfer to the high security prison of Koro Toro. The Head of State had accused them of having wanted to carry out a « insurrection » and an attempt to ” Rebellion “. Since its independence from France in 1960, Chad’s history has been paved with coups and rebel offensives.
