Chad Rebels Say They Are Ready for Ceasefire and Talks

Rebels in Chad who launched a major incursion into the north of
the country two weeks ago and have been accused by the Chadian army
of killing veteran ruler Idriss Deby Itno, are “prepared to observe
a ceasefire,” their chief has told AFP.

“We have affirmed our availability to observe a truce, a
ceasefire … but this morning we were bombarded again,” Mahamat
Mahadi Ali, head of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT)
said on Saturday when contacted by AFP from Libreville in
Gabon.

But Mahadi Ali warned that the ceasefire had to be observed by
both sides.

“We cannot respect the truce unilaterally. A truce must be made
on both sides. We will not fold our arms and let ourselves be
massacred,” he said.

In response, a spokesman for the military council headed by
Idriss Deby’s son and successor, Mahamat Idriss Deby, said: “They
are rebels, which is why we are bombing them. We are waging war,
that’s all.”

Funeral for Idriss Deby

On Friday, Chad staged a state funeral for Idriss Deby Itno, a
linchpin in the fight against the Sahel’s militant insurgency, and
France and regional allies voiced backing for Mahamat Idriss
Deby.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in his tribute to the fallen
president, said: “You lived as a soldier, you died as a soldier,
weapons in your hands.”

“France will never let anyone, either today or tomorrow,
challenge Chad’s stability and integrity,” Macron pledged.

But Macron also called on the newly-appointed military
government to foster “stability, inclusion, dialogue, democratic
transition.”

Rebels in Chad who launched a major incursion into the north of
the country two weeks ago and have been accused by the Chadian army
of killing veteran ruler Idriss Deby Itno, are “prepared to observe
a ceasefire,” their chief has told AFP.

“We have affirmed our availability to observe a truce, a
ceasefire … but this morning we were bombarded again,” Mahamat
Mahadi Ali, head of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT)
said on Saturday when contacted by AFP from Libreville in
Gabon.

But Mahadi Ali warned that the ceasefire had to be observed by
both sides.

“We cannot respect the truce unilaterally. A truce must be made
on both sides. We will not fold our arms and let ourselves be
massacred,” he said.

In response, a spokesman for the military council headed by
Idriss Deby’s son and successor, Mahamat Idriss Deby, said: “They
are rebels, which is why we are bombing them. We are waging war,
that’s all.”

Funeral for Idriss Deby

On Friday, Chad staged a state funeral for Idriss Deby Itno, a
linchpin in the fight against the Sahel’s militant insurgency, and
France and regional allies voiced backing for Mahamat Idriss
Deby.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in his tribute to the fallen
president, said: “You lived as a soldier, you died as a soldier,
weapons in your hands.”

“France will never let anyone, either today or tomorrow,
challenge Chad’s stability and integrity,” Macron pledged.

But Macron also called on the newly-appointed military
government to foster “stability, inclusion, dialogue, democratic
transition.”