Israel academic: Chad president is a ‘brutal tyrant’

While the Chadian President Idriss Deby was received with praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, an Israeli academic said he was a “brutal tyrant”, Ynet News reported yesterday.

Dr Irit Beck, head of the African Studies programme at Tel Aviv University, told the news site: “He [Deby] might not be one of the most brutal tyrants in Africa, but he is definitely a tyrant.”

“He rules his country by constantly violating human rights and liberties.”

“Although Chad has natural resources, such as oil, Deby’s nearest circle of trustees divide the profits between themselves … The literacy rate in the country remains low, unlike many other African states that have developed in this regard over the recent years,” he added.

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Dr Jonathan Freeman, a researcher, and lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said Chad could benefit from Israeli technology which would help it face a number of its problems.

“The country endures natural disasters such as desertification and drought, and might require Israeli-made technology in order to deal with the problem,” Freeman told Ynet.

However, the Israeli left-wing Israeli MK Tamar Zandberg was concerned about possible Israeli-Chadian arms deals which would see the weapons used to carry out rights violations.

Speaking to the Israeli Calcalist, Zandberg said: “The concern is that the visit will be used for secret arms deals in which Israeli arms will be sold to persecute political opponents, human rights activists, and journalists.”

READ: Chad president to make first Israel visit on Sunday, focus on security