A court in Chad on Tuesday, March 22, sentenced about 441 rebels to life in prison over the death of former president Idriss Deby.
The criminal chamber of N’Djamena’s court of appeal found more than 441 defendants guilty of acts of terrorism, undermining National security, and endangering the life of the head of state among other charges.
“They were sentenced to life in prison and will have to pay compensation to the State,” their lawyer Francis Djokoulde said.
Djokoulde also said that the rest were discharged due to a lack of strong evidence, adding that his team would appeal before Chad’s Supreme Court.
Front for Change and Concord (Fact) spokesperson Adoum Chouwimi said the trial was inaccurate and called the verdict “mascaraed”.
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“The struggle for which we have had to resort to arms will significantly continue to the next level,” Chouwimi said.
Idriss Deby was shot dead while visiting troops on the frontline against FACT rebels who had moved south from Chad’s northern border with Libya and were moving towards the country’s capital N’Djamena.
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Deby had been president of the vast central African country since 1990, surviving several coup attempts and rebellions as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
His son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president by a Transitional Council of Military Officers after his death. He is set to stay in power until elections are scheduled for October 2024.
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