By John Ikani
Chad’s government says its security forces foiled an attempt by a group of army officers to destabilise the country and undermine constitutional order.
A “restricted group of conspirators” comprising 11 officers led by the head of the Chadian Organization of Human Rights, Baradine Berdei Targuio, were behind the alleged plot, the government said in a statement on Thursday.
A formal investigation has been launched into “violation of the constitutional order, criminal association, illegal possession of a firearm and complicity”, said communications minister and government spokesman, Aziz Mahamat Saleh.
“The investigation is following its course and the government means to do everything to shed light on this affair and to determine responsibility,” Saleh said.
So far, the investigating magistrate looking at the case has charged the anarchists and ordered their detention, according to Saleh.
Chad has been on edge since the battlefield death in 2021 of longtime ruler Idriss Deby, after which his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power.
Authorities have cracked down on dissent in recent months as demonstrators took to the streets to demand a quicker transition to democratic rule.
Some 50 people were killed in October in protests the government described as an “armed insurrection”, but rights groups said was a pro-democracy demonstration.
