Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain in London, United Kingdom on May 4, 2021. [State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha]

DIPLOMATIC  TIMES STAFF  REPORT

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met Tuesday with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian in London on the margins of the G7 Ministerial.  Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Le Drian discussed long-term security and the need for a democratic transition in Chad following the passing of President Déby, according to a statement by State Department spokesperson Ned Price.  The Secretary and Foreign Minister also affirmed unwavering U.S. and French support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and agreed to monitor closely Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Price added.  Both leaders committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Cameroon and expressed concern over the lack of movement on reforms critical to Lebanese stability.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain in London, United Kingdom on May 4, 2021. [State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha].

Chad Military Council Names Transitional Government

The military council that took power in Chad last month after the shock death of veteran leader Idriss Deby has named a transitional government, the army spokesman said.  Deby’s 37-year-old son Mahamat, who took the helm of the so-called “Transitional Military Council (CMT)”, named a government on Sunday comprising 40 ministers and deputy ministers and created a new national reconciliation ministry, military council spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna said in a televised statement – Aljazeera. 

Déby was an ally of U.S. and France in the  battle against Islamist militant groups

Déby was a staunch  Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in Africa working with the U.S. and France in counter-terror efforts in the strife-ridden Sahel region. 

The United States position has been to support  “a  peaceful transition of power in accordance with the Chadian constitution,”   the state department spokesperson said after the death of Chad’s president last month.  Déby had just been declared the winner of the April 11 presidential election taking nearly 80 percent of the vote.  The Chadian army reported  it had killed 300 rebels who waged a major incursion into the north of the country a week before the president’s death.  Déby’s  son will  be in charge of a  15-member military transitional council for a period of 18 months.  

France’s Double Standard on Democracy in Africa

“Recent events make clear the double standard at the heart of France’s engagement in Africa: What’s perfectly acceptable in Chad is not to be countenanced in France”   –  Judah Grunstein -World Political Review