French Foreign Minister Backs Chad’s Transitional Military Council  

France’s foreign minister is defending the takeover of Chad’s government by a transitional military council. 

Jean-Yves Le Drian said during a television interview Thursday that “exceptional circumstances” made it necessary for Chad’s military to dissolve the National Assembly and form an 18-month transitional council, following the death of President Idriss Deby this week.   The speaker of the National Assembly should have become president under Chad’s constitution, but speaker Haroun Kabadi issued a statement that he agreed with the council’s takeover “given the military, security and political context.”  Le Drian said Kabadi’s position justified the military taking control.