A number of foreign leaders have ignored warnings from the rebels that they should not attend the burial ceremony of the late President Idris Deby for security reasons.
Friday’s ceremony included a military march-past and a speech by his son and the army’s named successor Gen Mahamat “Kaka” Déby Itno. After the ceremony in N’Djamena, Déby will be buried in his native region.
Among those attending are heads of state from France, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Nigeria.
After the military honours and various speeches, a prayer will be said at the Grand Mosque of N’Djamena, reports the BBC’s Lalla Sy. Then, in the early afternoon, Mr. Déby’s remains will be flown to Amdjarass, a small village next to his hometown of Berdoba, more than 1,000 km (600 miles) from the capital, near the Sudanese border.
Numerous world leaders including President Emmanuel Macron of France, paid tributes following the shocking news of his death on Tuesday. President Macron called him a “brave friend”, Cameroon’s Paul Biya said he served “tirelessly”, DR Congo’s Felix Tshisikedi called it a “a great loss for Chad and for all of Africa”, Mali’s President Bah Ndaw lamented his “brutal” death and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa called it “disturbing”.
The late President Déby was a key player in security strategy in the Sahel region – and Chad is reputed for having one of the best-trained and best-equipped armies in the region.
A military council led by his 37-year-old son, took power after his death. Although he has only partial support of the army, he is backed by former colonial ruler France.
General Déby, has said the army will hold democratic elections in 18 months, but opposition leaders have condemned his takeover as a “coup” and an army general said many officers were opposed to the transition.
