The trial of 150 rebels accused of being responsible for President Idriss Déby’s demise will begin in Chad on Monday. According to a local news website that cited judicial sources, the trial will be held at a high security jail in Kléssoum.
The suspects are members of the Front for Concord and Change in Chad (FACT), a rebel group that in 2021 launched an offensive from its back-up camps in Libya to overthrow the Chadian government.
They are accused of terrorism, using children as soldiers, mercantilism, undermining state security, and assassinating a president while in office.
In April 2021, Idriss Deby was killed in action while in charge of the army’s operations to drive back the rebels. In a contested election, he had recently received a new mandate.
The new military authorities in Chad were able to halt the rebel advance with the aid of France.
Negotiations between the rebel movement and the Chadian government have halted for almost two years since Deby’s passing.
The group has abstained from peacebuilding discussions in favour of getting its members out of prison.
