2004 Chadian coup d'état attempt
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Chadian coup d'état attempt was an attempted coup d'état
against the Chadian President Idriss Déby
that was foiled on the night of May 16, 2004.
as a fairly contained military mutiny over pay and conditions of service, with the Information Minister Moktar Wawadajab assuring the BBC
that the mutiny had ended without a shot being fired, and that no-one was killed or injured. While the rebellion was rapidly quelled by loyalist forces after a brief exchange of fire, and the about 80 rebels and their ringleader, the army Colonel
Bechir Haggar, were arrested, the President later admitted the seriousness of what had happened. In a televised address to the nation on May 18 Déby confirmed that elements of the GNNT
and of the Presidential Guard had made an attempt on his life: "A group of fanatic and manipulated officers tried to disrupt the functioning of republican institutions on the night of May 16 … Their hidden agenda was the assassination of the President."
with the help of the solid majority he could count on in the National Assembly
; precisely in the day of the coup the necessary constitutional amendment
s were being rushed through the Parliament. This generated strong tensions in the inner circles of power, especially among the Zaghawa, Déby's ethnic group
; and the coup saw the participation of senior Zaghawa officers, and important political allies of Déby were thought to have been involved, like Daoussa Déby, half-brother of the President, and the Erdimi twins, Tom and Timam, nephews of Déby. The suspects regarding Daoussa Déby were to prove groundless, while the Erdimi brothers were accused on December 12, 2005 by the government of being the true masterminds behind the failed coup. The two were also to be the key architects in yet another coup d'état attempt
that took place in 2006.
Another possibility may be linked to Déby's foreign policy decisions regarding the Darfur conflict
; in the conflict involving the Darfur
rebels and the Sudan
-supported Janjaweed
, at the time Déby was attempting to maintain good relations with Sudan, a choice that made unhappy many Senior Chadian officers, many of whom were reported being supporting logistically, politically and financially the insurgents. Relations with Sudan were the following year to worsen dramatically, bringing to the Chadian-Sudanese conflict
.
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against the Chadian President Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby
General Idriss Déby Itno is the President of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Déby is of the Bidyat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. He added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006.-Rise to power:...
that was foiled on the night of May 16, 2004.
Plot
The coup attempt was at first presented by the governmentGovernment of Chad
The Government of Chad has been ruled and controlled by Idriss Déby and his Patriotic Salvation Movement since December 2, 1990, and officially since February 28, 1991. An amendment to the Constitution of Chad, passed in 2005, allowed Déby to run for his next term which will be his third...
as a fairly contained military mutiny over pay and conditions of service, with the Information Minister Moktar Wawadajab assuring the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that the mutiny had ended without a shot being fired, and that no-one was killed or injured. While the rebellion was rapidly quelled by loyalist forces after a brief exchange of fire, and the about 80 rebels and their ringleader, the army Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Bechir Haggar, were arrested, the President later admitted the seriousness of what had happened. In a televised address to the nation on May 18 Déby confirmed that elements of the GNNT
Nomad and National Guard
The National and Nomadic Guard of Chad is one of four defence and security forces in Chad....
and of the Presidential Guard had made an attempt on his life: "A group of fanatic and manipulated officers tried to disrupt the functioning of republican institutions on the night of May 16 … Their hidden agenda was the assassination of the President."
Motivations
The possible reasons behind the failed coup are judged to be mainly two by observers. The first of these, and the most evident, is linked to the decision by Déby to search a third presidential mandate, modifying the ConstitutionConstitution of Chad
The Constitution of the Republic of Chad is the supreme law of Chad. Adopted in 1996, six years after President Idriss Déby rose to power following a successful rebellion against President Hissène Habré, this formal document establishes the framework of the Chadian state and government and...
with the help of the solid majority he could count on in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Chad
The National Assembly is the parliament of Chad. It has 155 members, elected for a four year term in 25 single-member constituencies and 34 multi-member constituencies.-See also:*List of Presidents of the National Assembly of Chad...
; precisely in the day of the coup the necessary constitutional amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
s were being rushed through the Parliament. This generated strong tensions in the inner circles of power, especially among the Zaghawa, Déby's ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
; and the coup saw the participation of senior Zaghawa officers, and important political allies of Déby were thought to have been involved, like Daoussa Déby, half-brother of the President, and the Erdimi twins, Tom and Timam, nephews of Déby. The suspects regarding Daoussa Déby were to prove groundless, while the Erdimi brothers were accused on December 12, 2005 by the government of being the true masterminds behind the failed coup. The two were also to be the key architects in yet another coup d'état attempt
2006 Chadian coup d'état attempt
The 2006 Chadian coup d'état attempt was an attempted coup d'état against Chadian President Idriss Déby that was foiled on the night of March 14, 2006.-Plot:...
that took place in 2006.
Another possibility may be linked to Déby's foreign policy decisions regarding the Darfur conflict
Darfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
; in the conflict involving the Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
rebels and the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
-supported Janjaweed
Janjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
, at the time Déby was attempting to maintain good relations with Sudan, a choice that made unhappy many Senior Chadian officers, many of whom were reported being supporting logistically, politically and financially the insurgents. Relations with Sudan were the following year to worsen dramatically, bringing to the Chadian-Sudanese conflict
Chadian-Sudanese conflict
The civil war in Chad began in December 2005. Since its independence from France in 1960, Chad has been swamped by the civil war between the Arab-Muslims of the north and the Sub-Saharan-Christians of the south. As a result, leadership and presidency in Chad drifted back and forth between the...
.
See also
- Chadian coup of 1975Chadian coup of 1975The Chadian coup of 1975 was in considerable part generated by the growing distrust of the President of Chad, François Tombalbaye, for the army. This distrust came in part from the Chadian Armed Forces incapacity to deal with the rebellion that was inflaming the Muslim north from when the rebel...
- 2006 Chadian coup d'état attempt2006 Chadian coup d'état attemptThe 2006 Chadian coup d'état attempt was an attempted coup d'état against Chadian President Idriss Déby that was foiled on the night of March 14, 2006.-Plot:...
- History of ChadHistory of ChadChad , officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country next to the Atlantic ocean in Central Africa. It borders Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...