In Chad, the government said Thursday, January 5 in a press release that it had foiled an "attempt to destabilize" aimed at undermining the "constitutional order and the institutions of the Republic".

"This plan was drawn up by a small group of conspirators made up of eleven army officers headed by the named Baradine Berdei Targuio, president of the Chadian organization for human rights (OTDH)", assured the government, specifying that the security services had carried out their "arrest from December 8, 2022".

According to Aziz Mahamat Saleh, Minister of Communication and government spokesperson, "a judicial investigation has been opened against these people for undermining the constitutional order, criminal association, illegal possession of firearms and complicity".

“The investigating judge in charge (…) proceeded to charge them (…) by placing them under a warrant of committal”, underlines the press release from his services.

"The legal procedure is following its course and the government intends to shed full light on this affair and locate the responsibilities", concludes the minister.

Human rights activist

In February 2021, Baradine Berdei Targuio was sentenced to three years in prison for undermining the constitutional order for having written that the then president, Idriss Déby Itno, who died in April 2021 and father of the current president Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, was "seriously ill" and "hospitalized".

Baradine Berdei Targuio is a well-known human rights activist in Chad and the OTDH was created in 2006. He was a regular critic of the Head of State and the regime on social networks .

Propelled to power on the death of his father killed at the front against rebels on April 20, 2021 after having ruled the country with an iron fist for 30 years, General Mahamat Déby had dissolved Parliament, dismissed the government, abrogated the Constitution and promised to return power to civilians in "free and democratic" elections.

On October 1, 2022, Chad extended its transition period to elections for a maximum of two years, maintaining Mahamat Déby as head of state, who will be authorized to run for the presidency.

With AFP

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