The military junta in power in Chad announced on Sunday April 25 its refusal to negotiate with the rebels who have been leading an offensive against the regime for two weeks and are accused by the army of having killed the head of state Idriss Déby Itno.

On Saturday April 24, the rebel leader said they were "available to observe a ceasefire" and said he was in favor of a political solution. 

"The time is neither for mediation, nor for negotiation with outlaws," said spokesman for the Transitional Military Council (CMT), Azem Bermandoa Agouna, in a statement read to the national television.

Call on Niger to "cooperate"

In the same statement, the junta also called on Niger to "cooperate" to capture FACT leader Mahamat Mahadi Ali. 

"Chad calls for cooperation and solidarity from Niger (...) in order to facilitate the capture and provision of justice for these war criminals", continued Azem Bermandoa Agouna, accusing Mahamat Mahadi Ali for having fled to Niger, which the latter denies.

These FACT insurgents, a group formed in 2016 by dissident military officers, entered northern Chad on April 11 from their base in Libya and advanced south.

They were 200-300 kilometers north of N'Djamena last week, before being driven back by Chadian forces and declaring a funeral truce.

Monday April 19, the Chadian army had assured to have "destroyed" the column of rebels and killed 300 combatants.

The next day, the army spokesman announced that Idriss Déby, who had led the third least developed country in the world with an iron fist for 30 years, had died from wounds at the front in the north against rebels.

With AFP

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