Chad junta chief says will contest polls, 3 days after his main rival was killed

Three days after his main competitor was assassinated under mysterious circumstances, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, the leader of the Chad junta, declared on Saturday that he would run for president on May 6.

After his father, seasoned leader Idriss Deby Itno, passed away while battling rebels in 2021, Deby Itno assumed control. The despotic leader has ruled the Sahel region for almost thirty years.

"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.

The junta had named Deby Itno as interim president and had given him a mandate of 18 months for the return of civilian governance and elections. However, he went on to add another two years to the changeover.

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Just two months before the vote, on Tuesday, the presidential election date was revealed.

Deby Itno, 39, has an almost 100% chance of winning because his primary rival was killed and the opposition was suppressed.

Yaya Dillo Djerou, the leader of the opposition and Deby Itno's primary political challenger, was assassinated on Wednesday after forces surrounded his Socialist Party Without Borders office in the capital city of N'Djamena.

His party claimed that Dillo was shot dead by soldiers in a "execution" that occurred just before he was set to run against Deby for president.

Rejecting the charges, the government claims that Dillo "opposed his arrest" and opened fire on law enforcement.

Speaking on Wednesday from the foreign ministry's offices while encircled by soldiers, Deby Itno asserted that the army had "saved the country from the abyss and from chaos" when he took over in 2021.

Hundreds of delegates from the coalition of political parties For a United Chad applauded him as he wore all white. According to the alliance, there are "221 parties" in it.

Human Rights Watch demanded on Saturday that Dillo's murder be the subject of an independent, foreign-backed investigation.

"The killing of a potential presidential candidate during an assault by Chadian security forces on an opposition party headquarters raises serious concerns about the environment for elections scheduled for May 6," HRW said.

Lewis Mudge, head of HRW's Central Africa, stated, "The circumstances surrounding Yaya Dillo's death are unclear, but his violent death highlights the dangers facing opposition politicians in Chad, particularly as elections approach."