A special criminal court in Chad has handed jail terms to 243 rebels who crossed from Libya in February before their incursion was halted by French air raids. Out of 267 people who were arrested, 12 were sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison and 231 others to terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.
The special court also handed down life sentences in absentia to nearly a dozen rebel leaders living outside Chad, including their chief Timan Erdimi but also released 24 minors arrested.
In February, UFR fighters crossed into northeastern Chad in a column of 40 pickups with French warplanes, based near the Chadian capital N’Djamena, launching airstrikes on the attackers, halting their movement where the over 250 rebels were arrested.
The sentences come as Chad closes its borders with Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic for security reasons.
The Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) rebel group is based in the desert of southern Libya and opposes the rule of Chad’s President Idriss Deby Itno.
