He launched a comprehensive national dialogue that included many armed groups
Head of the Chadian Military Council.. the shy boy follows in his father's footsteps
The signing of the Comprehensive Dialogue Agreement in Doha between the Chadian parties.
Reuters
The President of the Chadian Transitional Council, General Mohamed Idriss Deby, whose plan to reshape Chad's future is now entering a decisive phase, faces a formidable challenge since he took power last year.
On April 20, 2021, the army announced on television that Idriss Deby Into, who ruled Chad with an iron fist for 30 years, had been killed in a military operation against the rebels.
Muhammad, his son and political heir, looked shy and nervous in his uniform at the time.
Although the 37-year-old soldier rose to the rank of four-star general thanks to his father, he was new to the world of politics.
Today, he is the head of the military council, which dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, in a move that will last 18 months until “free and democratic elections.”
Today, Debbie Jr. plays the role of a confident leader, while following the same path set by his father.
A reliable ally from the West
Like his predecessor, he always appears in military attire, whether inside Chad or abroad.
Western leaders are looking to him for reassurances that Chad will remain a strong ally in the fight against militants in the Sahel.
In his first months in power, Déby was rarely seen without his uniform, while wearing the red beret known to the elite forces of the presidential guard he commanded under his father.
While he was a four-star general praised for facing a rebel offensive in the east of the country in 2009, he received a fifth star in December.
After a while, Debbie was seen more frequently in traditional dress or a finely tailored tuxedo, with gold-rimmed glasses, a less conservative urban image that his father also favored.
Differing opinions about his character
Some observers say he is a secretive figure, while others say he is working hard to assert his authority.
But there is also broad agreement that his father is the role model.
Thierry Vercolon, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, says that Mohamed Déby "consolidated his power by surrounding himself with the old guard."
"There is a real continuity between father and son," he says.
The Deby regime is still in place.”
In 1993, Deby Sr. launched a national conference to establish state institutions after a transitional period.
Today, his son is seeking to do something similar through a "comprehensive national dialogue" attended by 1,400 delegates, including representatives of many armed groups, and his stated goal is to agree on a path toward elections.
Chadian analyst Kilma Manatuma says that "Mohamed has the same desire as his father, which is to show that he is in dialogue with the opposition," noting that this tactic did not bring "expected results" in the past.
Reliance on his ethnic group
In an effort to consolidate his power, Déby the father relied on his own ethnic group, the Zaghawa, a small minority in Chad whose father has assigned many of its members to high-ranking positions in the army.
Muhammad's mother belongs to the Gorran, an ethnic group that is hostile, even hostile, but he is also dependent on his father's tribe.
"It's always the same group in power: the Zaghawa," says Roland Marchal, a researcher at the Center for International Studies in Paris.
Some observers point to the differences between the father and his son in the way they exercise power. Unlike Idriss Deby, who banned any demonstrations, Mohamed Deby leaves "a small space to express dissent," according to Marshall.
He also extended the hand of peace to the rebel leaders, including his cousin Timan Erdimi (also from the Zaghawa), who had tried several times to overthrow his late father, inviting them to participate in the dialogue.
• Although the 37-year-old soldier rose to the rank of four-star general thanks to his father, he was new to the world of politics. Today, he is the head of the military council, which dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, in a move that will last 18 months until “free and democratic elections.”
• Some observers point to the differences between the father and his son in the way of exercising power. Unlike Idriss Déby, who banned any demonstrations, Mohamed Deby leaves “a small space to express dissent,” according to Marshall. He also extended the hand of peace to the rebel leaders, including his cousin Timan Erdimi (also from the Zaghawa), who had tried several times to overthrow his late father, inviting them to participate in the dialogue.
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