FRANCE: Chadian rebels bombed to stop coup d’etat – FM

France’s military struck rebels in Chad to prevent a coup d’etat against President Idriss Deby, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday. On Deby’s request, French warplanes bombed a heavily-armed rebel convoy that crossed last week from Libya deep into Chadian territory. “There was an attack by a rebel group that came from southern […]

France’s military struck rebels in Chad to prevent a coup d’etat against President Idriss Deby, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.

On Deby’s request, French warplanes bombed a heavily-armed rebel convoy that crossed last week from Libya deep into Chadian territory.

“There was an attack by a rebel group that came from southern Libya … to take power by force in N’djamena. President Deby asked us in writing to intervene to prevent a coup d’etat and protect his country,” Le Drian told lawmakers.

The French jets destroyed dozens of pick-up trucks and the Chadian army subsequently said it had captured more than 250 rebels from the Union of Forces of Resistance (UFR), a Libya-based rebel coalition.

Deby has faced several rebellions since seizing power in 1990 in a military coup. International observers have questioned the fairness of elections that have kept him in office, and last year Deby oversaw a reform of the constitution that would allow him to stay in power until 2033.