in 2021 to discuss U.S. support for a transition of power to a democratically elected government After Mahamat's father, Idriss Déby,
died at the hands of
FACT on 20 April 2021, the
military announced that the elected government and
National Assembly have been dissolved and that a
Transitional Military Council led by Mahamat will lead the nation for 18 months. A new charter replaced the
Constitution of Chad, making Mahamat the interim President and head of the armed forces. Some political actors within Chad labeled the installing of the transitional military government a coup, as the constitutional provisions regarding the filling of a presidential vacancy were not followed. Namely, according to the constitution, the President of the National Assembly,
Haroun Kabadi, should have been named Acting President after president
Idriss Déby's death, and an early election called within a period of no less than 45 and no more than 90 days from the time of the vacancy. France, one of Chad's main foreign policy allies, defended the development as necessary, citing the "exceptional circumstances" caused by the rebellion. The broader international community also supported Déby, seeing him as a stable foothold in the Sahel. Déby was welcomed to
Washington, D.C., as a part of a summit for African leaders. Despite this recognition,
FACT rebels have issued an open threat to the new government, stating that "Chad is not a monarchy" and vowing to continue fighting until they reach
N'Djamena and depose Mahamat Déby from power.
National Dialogue After initially refusing to negotiate with insurgent groups, Déby softened his stance in August 2021, proposing a national dialogue. After his proposal was met with approval by rebel groups, peace talks between government and rebel representatives started two months later. These peace talks culminated in the 8 August 2022 peace agreement, signed in Doha, which established a national dialogue between Déby's government and the opposition, intended to prepare the country for elections scheduled for the second half of 2022. The peace agreement, though, was rejected by FACT and other opposition groups, as well as by civil society groups, who cited the absence of a guaranteed return to civilian rule. This lack of support for the peace agreement led to limited participation in the national dialogue. Without major opposition and civilian participation in the national dialogue, it concluded to extend the transition and postpone elections until at least October 2024. In March 2023, Déby pardoned 380 jailed FACT members, many of whom were among the 400+ sentenced to life in prison for the death of his father, in an attempt to have the group join peace talks, following their non-participation in the national dialogue. in Jerusalem, February 2023
October 2022 protests The Transitional Military Council's 3 October postponing of elections was met with significant pro-democracy demonstrations on 20 October, the initial date of elections. These demonstrations primarily took place in the cities of N'Djamena and Moundou, and were primarily orchestrated by the opposition group Wakit Tamma and
Succès Masra, leader of the Les Transformateurs party. In response to the demonstrations, government security forces violently cracked down on protesters and the government orchestrated a days long internet blackout. Of those 600+, 342 ended up sentenced to between 1 and 3 years in prison for charges related to the protests. The day was later deemed "Black Thursday" for the violence. Following the protests, various opposition political parties were suspended, among them Les Transformateurs and the Chadian Socialist Party.
French support for presidency in Brussels, February 2022 in Washington, D.C., December 2022 He has received significant support in the West, most notably from France, its former colonial power.
Emmanuel Macron attended the funeral of
Idriss Déby, where he pledged his support for the junior Déby's government and for the stability of Chad, stability which France further supported through
Operation Barkhane, which positioned a 5,000+ French force in the Sahel, with their headquarters in Chad. Déby also visited Macron at the
Élysée Palace in June 2021, where the two discussed the political transition in Chad. Despite the 2021 termination of
Operation Barkhane, France has not demonstrated any wavering in their support of Déby and continues to position troops in the region, despite having moved the remaining core of their Sahel forces to
Niger.
Finance In July 2021, he counted on
Qatar for reconciliation and economic operations in the nation of
Chad. Under his administration Chad's
gross domestic product grew by 1.1% in 2021 and 2.4% in 2022.
Boko Haram On 22 November 2022, an
attack was launched by
Boko Haram in the village of
Ngouboua, killing at least 10 soldiers of the
Chad National Army. Déby had previously stated that the organization had been attacking civilians with increased frequency, as they "no longer [had] the strength to hit bases". Despite significant territorial losses, Boko Haram has adapted by shifting to asymmetric tactics such as ambushes and suicide bombings, continuing to target both military and civilian sites in the Lake Chad region.
2022 Chad floods In 2022, normal rainfalls occurred across
Central Africa and
West Africa between July and August. In mid-August,
floods began in
Chad, killing 22 people. An estimated 442,000 people were displaced and a
state of emergency was declared. == Election and civilian presidency ==