General Mahamat Déby – Picture by Chadian Presidency
Monday, 5 June 2021, Paris, French Republic: General Mahamat bin Idriss Déby Itno, Chairman of the Transitional Military Council of Chad (i.e. Acting President) paid a visit to the French President Macron, and was welcomed at the Élysée Palace.
Mahamat Déby (born 1 January 1984) is a military man by training, and son of the late Chadian President Idriss Déby. He was proclaimed Acting President of Chad on 20 April 2021 when his father, Idriss Déby was killed whilst action commanding troops in the Northern Chad offensive. This was the first foreign trip to Europe, or rather to France by Chairman and General Mahamat Déby.
The two officials held intense talks concerning the progress of the political transition in Chad. The presidents stressed the need to do everything possible to achieve the objectives of an “inclusive, peaceful and successful” transition within the framework desired by the African Union. To achieve the latter objective, France announced new budgetary aid. Mahamat Idriss Déby had made it known that without support from the international community the maximum 18-month deadline for the transition could not be met.
The security context in the Sahel region was naturally also high on the agenda. France has “specified the objectives of the transformation of the French military in the Sahel,” the statement said, without giving further details. Emmanuel Macron welcomed Chad’s maintenance of “its international commitments, in particular in the framework of the G5 Sahel” as per statement below. The two presidents stressed the need to provide the G5 Sahel joint force with sustainable funding and the passage of this force under Chapter 7 of the United Nations.
The Covid-19 pandemic, the Sourou attack on the Central African border – condemned by President Macron – and the supervision of the departure of mercenaries from Libya were also discussed.
In Paris President Mahamat Déby was also received at the headquarters of La Francophonie by the latter’s Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo.
For further information
French Presidency: https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2021/07/05/communique-conjoint-suite-a-la-visite-de-travail-en-france-du-general-de-corps-darmee-le-general-mahamat-idriss-deby
Chadian Presidency: https://presidence.td/tchad-france-2/, https://presidence.td/transitionlappui-de-loif-est-sollicite/
