Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno died on a battlefield on Tuesday in a crackdown on rebels who opposed his leadership, the Central African nation’s army said.
The news comes just hours after election officials declared Deby – who has ruled Chad for more than three decades – the winner of the April 11 presidential election, paving the way for him to remain in power for another six years.
An 18-month transition board will now be led by Deby’s 37-year-old son, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, the army said, while a night’s nest will be in place at 6 p.m.
In this 2016 photo, Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno is seen at the presidential palace in N’Djamena, Chad. (AP)
(AP / File)
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The circumstances of Deby’s death could not be immediately confirmed independently due to the remote location of the battlefield, the Associated Press reports. It was not known why the president visited the northern Chadian fronts or took part in ongoing clashes with rebels who opposed his leadership.
Deby, a 68-year-old former army commander-in-chief, first came to power in 1990 when his rebel forces overthrew then-president Hissene Habre, who was later convicted of human rights violations. at an international tribunal in Senegal.
Over the years, Deby survived numerous armed rebellions and managed to stay in power until this latest insurgency led by a group called the Chad of Change and Concord in Chad.
The rebels are believed to have armed and trained in neighboring Libya before crossing into northern Chad on April 11. Their arrival came on the same day that the President of Chad sought a sixth term on election day, which was boycotted by several top opposition candidates.
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Deby was a major ally of France in the fight against Islamic extremism in Africa, hosting the base of the French military operation Barkhane and providing critical troops to the peacekeeping effort in northern Mali.
Deby’s son, Mahamat, served as top commander for the Chadian forces involved in the effort.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.