Sahel: after the death of Idriss Déby, is the Barkhane force weakened?
Audio 29:30
Idriss Déby and Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée in Paris on August 28, 2017. AP - Francois Mori
By: Adrien Delgrange
31 min
A week ago, on April 19, 2021, the President of Chad, Idriss Déby died in still opaque circumstances while leading fighting against rebels in the north of the country.
Publicity
"France is losing a courageous friend",
declared Emmanuel Macron very quickly, before going to the funeral of the Chadian president last Friday (April 23, 2021) in N'djamena.
After leading Chad for more than 30 years, Idriss Déby leaves a void behind him.
The career soldier he was also leaves a vacuum in security matters in the Sahel.
Indeed, he was one of France's strongest allies against the jihadists in the region.
Paris did not choose at random to install the headquarters of the Barkhane force in Chad.
After Idriss Déby's death, is the Barkhane force weakened?
This is the question of the day.
To discuss it:
- Vincent Hugeux
, former major reporter at
L'Express
and specialist on Africa, author of the book
Tyrans d'Afrique, les mystères du despotisme post-colonial
(Éditions Perrin, March 2021)
- Niagalé Bagayoko,
political scientist, president of the African Security Sector
- Roland Marchal
, researcher at the International Research Center (CERI) de sciences Po. Specialist in Africa.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Idriss Deby Itno
Sahel
Chad
On the same subject
Chad: the challenges that await Mahamat Idriss Déby at the head of the transition
Guest France
France-Chad relationship: "Idriss Déby was really the faithful ally"
Chad: vagueness surrounds the circumstances of Idriss Déby's death