APA – N’Djamena (Chad) – The Chadian army is welcoming new generals into its fold.
A record number of 43 colonels have been exceptionally promoted to the rank of brigadier general by the transitional president, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
This is a record number.
Eight other former generals have been given an extra star on their rank. From major generals, they are now corps generals, with four stars.
This promotion comes two weeks after 47 army generals were retired.
A first since 2011.
The decision was challenged by Brigadier General Idriss Dokony Adiker, who said he had not reached the mandatory retirement age of 62, had not asked for early retirement and did not suffer from any incurable illness or other disability.
The Chadian army has around 500 generals, more than Nigeria, France and the United States.
Since 2011, no general has retired because of the freeze.
Officially, this is to prevent them from falling into insecurity and ending up in rebellion.
A Chadian general earns around 2 million CFA francs. On top of that, he benefits from state support (free accommodation, health care, water, electricity, etc.).
This exorbitant figure has been widely criticised in political circles. Some opinion leaders believe that the rank of General has become a means for the interim President to reward and retain influential army officers.
In January 2023, the head of state promulgated a decree on the general status of the military. This document sets out the conditions for promotion and the age of retirement. For the time being, however, it is struggling to be respected.
SD/ac/lb/as/APA