Mathew Otieno had this really interesting opinion on the state of democratic governance in Chad since the recent coup on April 11, 2021. His must read opinion is published in in Mercatornet. Here is an excerpt:

There has been a coup in Chad. Following the death on April 20, of Idriss Déby, who was entering his 31st year as president on the back of sham elections, his son Mahamat Déby took control of the country as head of a military junta. He has suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament of the large north-central African country. He promised “free and democratic” elections in 18 months.

There was no need whatsoever for this to happen. The constitution set out a clear path out of the crisis, and there was no compelling reason to bypass it. The head of parliament should have become acting president and should then have organised elections after 45 to 90 days. That the military didn’t respect this process means its pledge to organise “free and democratic” elections in 18 months is empty.

True to form, France, Chad’s main military ally and eternal champion of liberté, hasn’t even whispered a word against this usurpation of democracy. It can’t even muster the chops to call it a coup. Instead, it mourned the late dinosaur and called him a “courageous friend.” The African Union, in its turn, has an anti-coup policy and should have condemned the irregular transition. It hasn’t squeaked.

Access the full story here.