Chad’s interim president Mahamat Idriss Deby says he plans to run in this year’s long-awaited presidential race, three days after his chief rival was killed in disputed circumstances. Deby’s confirmation on Saturday came at the end of a chaotic week in which opposition politician Yaya Dillo was shot and killed in the capital N’Djamena.
Dillo’s death on Wednesday in disputed circumstances has further exposed divisions in the ruling elite at a politically sensitive time as the Central African country prepares for the promised return to democratic rule via the ballot box.
Addressing a crowd of supporters and state officials, Deby announced his candidacy in a speech that made no reference to the recent violence.
“I, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, am a candidate for the 2024 presidential election under the banner of the ‘For a United Chad’ coalition,” he said in a speech. “It is … with a mixture of honour, humility, responsibility and gratitude that I accept this nomination.”
Credit: rfi
