The Transitional Military Council (french: Conseil militaire de transition, CMT; ar, المجلس العسكري الانتقالي, ''al-Majlis al-‘askarī al-intiqālī'') was a

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...

that ruled

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

from 2021 to 2022. It announced the death of former President

Idriss Déby Idriss Déby Itno ' (18 June 1952 – 20 April 2021) was a Chadian politician and military officer who was the president of Chad from 1990 until his death in 2021. Déby was a member of the Bidayat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. A high-ranki ...

on 20 April 2021, and declared that it would take charge of the government of Chad and continue hostilities against

FACT A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...

rebels in the north of the country. It was chaired by Mahamat Idriss Déby, the son of the late President, making him the ''de facto''

President of Chad This is a list of heads of state of Chad since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of six people have served as head of state of Chad (not counting two Interim Heads of State). Additionally, one pers ...

. It was dissolved on 10 October 2022, following a "national dialogue" that named Déby Transitonal President and replaced the CMT with a transitional administration appointed by him.

History

Announcement of formation

On 20 April 2021, the spokesman of the CMT, General Azem Bermandoa Agouna, announced its formation on state television, after the death of the former president Idriss Déby in combat against FACT rebels. On the same day, Mahamat Idriss Déby named 15 generals, including himself who will be part of the Council and 14 others who were loyalists to his father. It said that the Council would take power for eighteen months, after which elections will be held.

Reaction to formation

On 22 April 2021, the (Union of Trade Unions of Chad) called for a general strike. It was also reported that some officers in the army were opposed to the coup. The junta successfully suppressed protests. Hostilities against the FACT continued, but the CMT said on 6 May that it had successfully repelled them.

Transitional charter and government

Reuters reported that the Council has replaced the

Constitution of Chad The Constitution of the Republic of Chad (french: Constitution de la République du Tchad) is the supreme law of Chad.Current Constitution of Chad Chad's eighth constitution since independence from France, it was adopted on 4 May 2018. The text e ...

with a new charter, granting Mahamat the interim presidency and making him the leader of the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. On 27 April the CMT announced the formation of a transitional government led by the civilian politician Albert Pahimi Padacké. France expressed its support for a 'civilian-military transition' on 23 April. The

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

's members were divided on sanctions: whilst its rules require them, other members expressed concerns because of Chad's importance in fighting terrorism. Eventually the AU sent a delegation to Chad. At a meeting held on 12 May, a report to the Peace and Security Council of the African Union proposed three options. The first option was to fully support the CMT whilst sending an envoy to hold the military to its promise to hold elections within 18 months. The second was to demand equal power sharing with a civilian government. The third was to demand power should be handed over to a civilian government, with a military vice-president appointed for security matters. The report said that the transitional charter was ‘wholly inadequate’ and urged a redrafting of the constitution. It further proposed the demobilisation of rebel forces and their participation in talks; that prospect had previously been rejected by the CMT. The report was criticised by Delphine Djiraibé of the Public Interest Legal Centre, who criticised the delay in releasing the report and its failure to recommend sanctions. The African Union appointed a special envoy to Chad, implying adoption of the first option, but he was initially refused because the Chadian government claimed that they had not been consulted about his appointment.

Members

The following are members of the CMT. * Mahamat Déby Itno (President) * Djimadoum Tiraina (Vice-President) * Bichara Issa Djadalla * Oki Mahamat Yaya Dagache * Mahamat Ismaïl Chaïbo * Souleyman Abakar Adoum * Taher Erda Tairo * Azem Bermandoa * Amine Ahmat Idriss * Gamane Mokhtar * Saleh Ben Haliki * Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud * Ahmat Youssouf Mahamat Itno * Mahamat Souleyman * Gueile Hemchi

References