Noël Milarew Odingar
Encyclopedia
Noël Milarew Odingar was a Chad
ian officer who briefly served as head of state
and was later one of the nine members of the Supreme Military Council, the military junta
that ruled Chad between 1975 and 1978.
A Sara
, Odingar was born in 1932. As a graduate of the French military academy he had a rapid career, and in 1965 Odingar, with the grade of Major, took the post as commander of the Chadian Armed Forces
(FAT), a choice that strengthened Sara dominance of the government.
By 1968 the military situation in the country had badly deteriorated, after the creation of the rebel insurgent group FROLINAT
in 1966 and the consequent loss of control by the government of many of Muslim regions. As a result, the President François Tombalbaye
asked France to send troops to help defeat the rebels; the only one who opposed themselves, in vain, to this decision, were the Minister Bangui and the now Colonel Odingar, who objected that the project would inficiate Chad's suzerainity.
As the years passed, Odingar gained further promotions: by early 1975 he had become general and acting commander of the FAT's 4,000 troops. Great discontent was brewing in the army's ranks: in the last two years Tombalbaye's action had become more and more erratic, and in 1973 he had thrown in jail the FAT's commander general Félix Malloum
. It was another purge in the army, in which Tombalbaye had arrested the commanders of the gendarmerie
(the military police), that triggered the 1975 coup
: on the morning of 13 April units of the gendarmerie attacked the Presidential Palace. While these were fighting with the President's guard, Odingar arrived bringing reiforcements and assuming command. All fighting ended by 8:30, with Tombalbaye reportedly dying from the wounds received in the battle and the coupists triumphantly taking the palace. There was no other resistance: already at 6:30 Odingar had spoken to the radio announcing the armed forces had "exercised their responsibilities before God and the nation" while the capital's population poured into the streets to celebrate the death of Tombalbaye.
Odingar and the army justified their actions in a military communique which accused Tombalbaye of having divided the country, putting the tribes one against the other, and of having humiliated the military. In the meanwhile Odingar, acting as interim commander and head of state, sealed off all roads to the capital and imposed a curfew on the city.
Félix Malloum
and the other jailed officers were immediately freed by the coupists. Already on 15 April a Supreme Military Council (Conseil Superieur Militaire or CSM) was formed, a nine-member military junta whose President was chosen to be Malloum, who so peacefully succeeded to Odingar as head of state.
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
ian officer who briefly served as head of state
Heads of state of Chad
-List of Heads of State of Chad:-Affiliations:-External links:**...
and was later one of the nine members of the Supreme Military Council, the military junta
Military junta
A junta or military junta is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term derives from the Spanish language junta meaning committee, specifically a board of directors...
that ruled Chad between 1975 and 1978.
A Sara
Sara people
The Sara are an ethnic group in Central Africa, who reside mostly in Chad, making up approximatively 30% of its southern population.-In Chad:...
, Odingar was born in 1932. As a graduate of the French military academy he had a rapid career, and in 1965 Odingar, with the grade of Major, took the post as commander of the Chadian Armed Forces
Chadian Armed Forces
The Chadian Armed Forces were the army of the central government of Chad from 1960 to 1979, under the southern presidents François Tombalbaye and Félix Malloum, until the downfall of the latter in 1979, when the head of the gendarmerie, Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué, assumed command...
(FAT), a choice that strengthened Sara dominance of the government.
By 1968 the military situation in the country had badly deteriorated, after the creation of the rebel insurgent group FROLINAT
FROLINAT
-Origins:The organization was born as the result of a political union between the leftist Chadian National Union , led by Ibrahim Abatcha, and the General Union of the Children of Chad which was led by Ahmed Hassan Musa. Musa was close to the Muslim Brotherhood and was an Islamist...
in 1966 and the consequent loss of control by the government of many of Muslim regions. As a result, the President François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye, also called Ngarta Tombalbaye , was a teacher and a trade union activist who served as the first president of Chad. He was born in the southern region of the country in the Moyen-Chari Prefecture near the city of Koumara and was of the Sara ethnic group, the prominent ethnicity...
asked France to send troops to help defeat the rebels; the only one who opposed themselves, in vain, to this decision, were the Minister Bangui and the now Colonel Odingar, who objected that the project would inficiate Chad's suzerainity.
As the years passed, Odingar gained further promotions: by early 1975 he had become general and acting commander of the FAT's 4,000 troops. Great discontent was brewing in the army's ranks: in the last two years Tombalbaye's action had become more and more erratic, and in 1973 he had thrown in jail the FAT's commander general Félix Malloum
Félix Malloum
General Félix Malloum or Félix Malloum Ngakoutou Bey-Ndi was a Chadian politician from the south. He served as an officer in the Chadian Military and as a member of the ruling Chadian Progressive Party . He later became the Chief of Staff with the rank of colonel...
. It was another purge in the army, in which Tombalbaye had arrested the commanders of the gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
(the military police), that triggered the 1975 coup
Chadian coup of 1975
The Chadian coup of 1975 was in considerable part generated by the growing distrust of the President of Chad, François Tombalbaye, for the army. This distrust came in part from the Chadian Armed Forces incapacity to deal with the rebellion that was inflaming the Muslim north from when the rebel...
: on the morning of 13 April units of the gendarmerie attacked the Presidential Palace. While these were fighting with the President's guard, Odingar arrived bringing reiforcements and assuming command. All fighting ended by 8:30, with Tombalbaye reportedly dying from the wounds received in the battle and the coupists triumphantly taking the palace. There was no other resistance: already at 6:30 Odingar had spoken to the radio announcing the armed forces had "exercised their responsibilities before God and the nation" while the capital's population poured into the streets to celebrate the death of Tombalbaye.
Odingar and the army justified their actions in a military communique which accused Tombalbaye of having divided the country, putting the tribes one against the other, and of having humiliated the military. In the meanwhile Odingar, acting as interim commander and head of state, sealed off all roads to the capital and imposed a curfew on the city.
Félix Malloum
Félix Malloum
General Félix Malloum or Félix Malloum Ngakoutou Bey-Ndi was a Chadian politician from the south. He served as an officer in the Chadian Military and as a member of the ruling Chadian Progressive Party . He later became the Chief of Staff with the rank of colonel...
and the other jailed officers were immediately freed by the coupists. Already on 15 April a Supreme Military Council (Conseil Superieur Militaire or CSM) was formed, a nine-member military junta whose President was chosen to be Malloum, who so peacefully succeeded to Odingar as head of state.