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Chad approved new resolutions this week that would delay democratic elections by two years and extend the term of interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby, Reuters reported.

Since April 2021, Chad has been ruled by a military junta led by Deby, who came to power following the death of his father, President Idriss Deby Itno. The elder Deby was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents.

The junta initially promised an 18-month transition to elections, which was due to end this month. But a national reconciliation dialogue forum, which aimed to create a political consensus between the authorities, civil society representatives and rebel groups, pushed for the delay.

Under the new plan, the elections will take place in October 2024. Apart from extending his term, the resolutions will also permit the young Deby to run for president in the eventual vote – despite past pledges not to do so, according to Agence France-Presse.

The move angered some opposition forces and defied warnings by the international community that the junta should refrain from extending the transition or fielding presidential candidates.

Some participants in the forum feared that the move would prompt international sanctions detrimental to Chad, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The resolution comes amid a series of coups that have gripped Africa since 2020 and sparked concerns of a backslide toward military rule in a region that had made democratic progress over the past decade.

Over the weekend, Burkina Faso experienced its second military coup in less than a year.