Chad's Transitional Military Council Will Not Hold Talks With Rebels - Spokesman

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2021) The Transitional Military Council that assumed power in Chad after the death of President Idriss Deby says it will not hold talks with the rebels, the council's spokesman said.

"The time is not for mediation, nor for negotiation with outlaws," Azem Bermandoa Agouna said on state television, as broadcast by the Portail de la Renaissance du Tchad Youtube channel.

Chad's military council claimed that some rebels from the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) have fled to Niger and called on the neighboring country to cooperate in capturing them.

Earlier, FACT leader Mahamat Mahadi Ali announced that the rebels were ready to observe a ceasefire and were open for talks with the government.

Chad's military announced on April 20 that 68-year-old Idriss Deby, who had been re-elected for his sixth presidential term, died from wounds he sustained during clashes between government troops and the rebels in the country's north.

Nigeria beefed up its border control amid instability in Chad. Nigeria's Defense Minister Bashir Magashi said on Thursday that only Nigerians would be allowed to cross over from Chad for fear that Chadian "bandits" could slip into Nigeria.

Chad's military has dissolved the government, announcing that the Transitional Military Council will rule the country for 18 months, until new elections are held.