The coup on April 13, 1975 in Chad

The military coup of April 13, 1975 was the result of a deep crisis that hit Chad by the mid-1970s. Destroying the country's weak economy, the eight-year civil war between the government and the Muslim north of the country, the global economic crisis and the drought that began in Africa aggravated the already difficult situation. To general dissatisfaction with the authoritarian rule of Francois Tombalbay, his conflicts with his own party and with the national army were added. In 1973, the President attacked in both directions - he sent the commander-in-chief Felix Mallum to prison , and then dissolved the Progressive Party of Chad , creating a new party in return.
But the conflict with the army could not be resolved. Moreover, a conflict arose with the gendarmerie - on March 23, by order of Tombalbai, the commander of the gendarmerie Brigadier General Nege Jogo was arrested, and on April 2 his deputy Colonel Jimet and Assistant Major Alphonse Kotiga Gerina were sent to prison. In early April, President Tombalbai launched an unprecedented campaign to discredit his own army and announced its upcoming reorganization. The conflict led to armed clashes in the capital and the discontent of the entire army.

The coup began at dawn on April 13, 1975 , on Sunday, in the Borajo garrison, located 35 miles from N'Djamena - units under the command of Lieutenant Dimtolum left the garrison in the direction of the capital. (Major Vadal Abdelkader Kamuge was also called one of the initiators of the coup.) At 05.00, they attacked the presidential palace on the outskirts of N'Djamena, met stubborn resistance by the security forces of the President of Chad ( French Compagnies Tchadiennes de Securite, CTS ). N'Djamena was awakened by artillery cannonade, which was replaced by the sounds of automatic firefights. Soon, troops came to the aid of the rebels under the command of the interim commander-in-chief of the army, Brigadier General Noel Odingar , who took over the general command of the assault. At 08.30, Colonel Selebiani, who commanded the security forces defending the presidential palace, spoke on the radio and urged his subordinates to lay down their arms. The fighting has stopped. According to the official version, voiced later by N'Djamena radio, President Francois Tombalbay was seriously injured during the shootout and soon died. Army trucks drove into the capital with soldiers who shot into the air and shouted “ We won! Long live the Republic! ”The population, learning about the President’s death, poured into the streets of N'Djamena and staged mass festivals with dancing and singing a two-word song:“ Tombalbai is dead! ".

Details of the death of Tombalbai remained unclear. Other questions remained unclear: whether the coup was spontaneous, or whether it was prepared in advance; who really stood at the head of the conspiracy, if he was; whether the assassination of Tombalbai was planned, or, as the military later claimed, they only wanted to arrest him, as a year ago this was done by the army in neighboring Niger; what were the true reasons for the coup; etc.

However, already on April 21, 1975, at a rally in N'Djamena, a member of the Supreme Military Council, Captain Zakaria, returned to the details of the coup and stated that the overthrow of the regime was planned systematically and in advance. The reasons for the coup, he called the unreasonable repression, the difficult economic situation of Chad and the backwardness of the country in all areas "while other countries have made significant progress on the path of socio-economic development."

Speaking on national radio, Brigadier General Noel Odingar, who took all the power in the country, said that the army "had done its duty to God and the nation" and took power to "put an end to abuse, social injustice and economic ruin . " The Constitution of 1962 was suspended, the National Assembly , the government and the ruling party, the National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution, were dissolved, parliamentary and political activity was prohibited. The "security companies" created by Tombalbay from fellow countrymen loyal to him were also dissolved. Curfew was imposed throughout the country, and the N'Djamena international airport was closed. The new leadership undertook to fulfill all international obligations, guaranteed foreigners their safety and protection of their interests, and also on the radio urged the command of the French troops in Chad not to intervene in the events. 175 political prisoners were released from prisons, including generals Felix Mallum and Neget Jogo.

To rule the country, the army and the gendarmerie created the Supreme Military Council ( FR Conseil Supertieur Militaire, CSM ). It consisted of generals Felix Mallum, Noel Odingar and Nege Jogo, Colonel M. Jimet, Major Kamuge, and four officers with the rank of captains and lieutenants, including Captain Zakaria, and M. D. Nganinar. General Mallum was elected Chairman of the Supreme Military Council. At midnight, he turned on the radio with an appeal to the nation, said that the Supreme Military Council would govern the country until the formation of an interim government and promised to carry out economic and social reforms. The next day, the army issued a communiqué accusing the ousted Tombalbai of splitting the country, encouraging tribal hatred and insulting the army.

On April 15, 1975, General Felix Mallum was sworn in as the new head of state and government.

The coup on April 13, 1975 for some time defused the situation and revived hopes for a possible peaceful solution to the numerous, complex and large-scale problems facing Chad. However, for the army that took power, neither a peaceful nor a military solution to the country's problems turned out to be impossible. There was no one to transfer power to the military in the conditions of the political vacuum left after Tombalbai - only field rebel commanders from the new regime of the Arab North, hostile to the leaders, claimed it. (Mallum, Odingar, Jogo, and other army commanders belonged to the Sarah of the South African ethnic group, as did President Tombalbai, whom they killed). The civil war resumed with renewed vigor, the military regime was defeated, and the Chadian national army created in the early 1960s virtually ceased to exist.

True // - April 15, 1975

Izvestia // - April 15, 1975

Izvestia // - April 19, 1975

• <span lang = " (English) " xml: lang = " (English) "> "Death of a Dictator" (unspecified) . Time (April 28, 1975). Date of treatment October 21, 2011. Archived March 22, 2012. .