AU Warns Chad Military, Gives Ultimatum For Democratic Election
The African Union has given Chad an 18-month deadline to restore democracy, after a military takeover last month.
AU warns that any attempt by army officers currently in control of the central African nation to extend their rule would be “unacceptable,” the continental body said in a statement on Thursday.
The body also urged interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby and other members of the junta to respect their commitment to not participate in the next election.
The sudden death of long-time President Idriss Deby last month threw Chad into a state of uncertainty. Deby’s son, Mahamat Idriss, replaced him and heads a 15-member military council that will lead the oil-producing nation for the next 18 months.
Chad is an important military ally to the U.S. and former colonial power, France in the battle against Islamist militants in West Africa’s Sahel region.
