Emmanuel Macron was present Friday at the funeral of Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno, who led the country with an iron fist for 30 years.

On this occasion, the French head of state expressed the support of France and the G5 Sahel for his son, at the head of a junta, in his "process of civil-military transition".

"France will never let anyone, neither today nor tomorrow, call into question the stability and integrity of Chad," he promised.

France will also be there to bring the promise of a peaceful Chad to life.

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Idriss Déby died Monday, according to N'Djamena, aged 68, from injuries sustained at the front in northern Chad against rebels.

His son, Mahamat Idriss Déby, general of the army at 37 and until then commander of the Republican Guard, the formidable praetorian guard of the regime, is the new strong man of Chad, surrounded by the most loyal of his father's generals .

He has full powers but has promised new institutions after “free and democratic” elections in a year and a half.

For many opponents, the fiercest of whom were regularly victims of intimidation and violence, this seizure of power was nothing more than an "institutional coup".

Supported by Paris to fight the jihadists

Just before the ceremony, Emmanuel Macron and the four other heads of state of the G5 Sahel, who formed a military force supported by Paris to fight the jihadists, and of which Chad is the spearhead, testified to the young General Déby their “Unity of view” and their “common support for the civil-military transition process for the stability of the region”.

A dozen heads of state gathered on the Place de la Nation, in the heart of N'Djamena, where the coffin covered with the Chadian flag arrived aboard a pick-up surrounded by bikers.

Twenty-one cannon shots were fired and military honors were given to the man who was elevated to the rank of Marshal of Chad on August 11.

Emmanuel Macron, the only Westerner

Among the heads of state and government, Emmanuel Macron, seated closest to the young General Mahamat Déby, is the only Westerner.

Around them, the four other G5 Sahel countries, which have formed an anti-jihadist military force supported by France: Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Emmanuel Macron had met the day before as an aside, barely got off his plane, the new strong man of Chad.

A sign for the opposition and the experts: France, which has saved militarily at least twice the regime of the late Idriss Déby threatened by rebels, in 2008 and 2019, seems to maintain its support for his successor.

Will the French president set conditions for a transition of power into the hands of civilians as quickly as possible?

Idriss Déby had always been able to count on France

Paris has installed the HQ of Barkhane, its anti-jihadist force in the Sahel, in Chad, its strongest ally against the jihadists in the region.

Since coming to power by force in 1990, with the help of Paris, Idriss Déby had always been able to count on the former colonial power.

After his death, France has already said on several occasions that it is concerned about “the stability and territorial integrity of Chad”.

“Will the Transitional Military Council ensure the stability and integrity of Chad?

", Asked Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, also questioning his ability to" implement a democratic process "while respecting his military commitments in the region.

"We must ignore political considerations"

The same goes for Josep Borell, the head of diplomacy of the European Union.

“We have to help Chad.

We must ignore political considerations, ”he said Thursday during a visit to Mauritania, before also going to the funeral of Idriss Déby.

Friday, after the speeches and a prayer at the Great Mosque of N'Djamena, the remains of Idriss Déby will be taken by plane to more than a thousand km, to Amdjarass, a small village not far from his hometown of Berdoba, capital of the province of Ennedi Est (northeast), near the Sudanese border, where he will be buried alongside his father.

Rebellion from Libya and threat inside the regime

The arrival of heads of state represents a major security challenge for the new regime, still facing a rebellion from Libya which has promised to march on N'Djamena and “categorically” rejects the military transition.

The threat could also come from inside the regime, because the seizure of power of the young Mahamat Idriss Déby is sudden and the desires numerous within the clan of the late head of state.

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  • Jihadism

  • Sahel

  • Support

  • Burial

  • Chad

  • Rebellion

  • Emmanuel Macron

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