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In Chad, does Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno still control the South?

By Mathieu Olivier

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Posted on May 31, 2023 08:01

© Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno during his tour of the north-east and east of the country on 17 May 2023. Presidency of Chad
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno during his tour of the north-east and east of the country on 17 May 2023. Presidency of Chad

While a new electoral campaign and the civil war in Sudan preoccupy President Mahamat Itno, increasing attacks by armed bands prompt critics to accuse the government of losing control.

Dressed in flowing white robes, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno treads the sandy runway of the Amtiman airfield. A few children, also dressed in immaculate clothing, are present to welcome him amid traditional chiefs and other local high officials. The capital of the Salamat region is, in the late morning of 10 May, the first stage of an “internal tour” that will take the president of the Chadian transition to the north-east and east of the country.

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