President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has called upon the international community to support Chad in concluding the transition from military to democratic government in a peaceful manner within the set time of 18 months.

President Buhari spoke at the opening of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) on Tuesday, in Abuja.

The summit was convened to discuss the recent developments in Chad after President Idris Deby died on the frontline while defending the territorial integrity of his country.

The Nigerian leader, who declared the one-day summit open in his capacity as the Chair of leaders of LCBC member-countries, rallied development partners and countries particularly France, the United States, and the United Kingdom to support the transition regime in Chad.

The meeting had in attendance the Presidents of Central African Republic, Niger, Chad, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and a representative of the President of Cameroon.