The exact circumstances of his death are still unclear, but Deby appears to have been shot on April 17 while his troops were fighting a rebel group in the desert north of the capital N’djamena.
A military statement said he “took control of operations during the heroic fight against the Libyan terrorists. He was wounded during the fighting and once repatriated to N’Djamena.”
The rebels say Deby was flown back to the capital. A well-placed source told CNN that Deby was injured after plans to negotiate with rebel leaders in the north quickly collapsed in a fierce battle that “left four of his generals dead.”
The source of information, specialized in Libya, cites a source from the rebel faction that had been informed about the incident.
CNN cannot confirm this claim, but both sides reported heavy clashes around the city of Mao in the Kanem region that day – about 185 miles north of the capital.
The rebels – Chad’s Front for Change and Concord (FACT) – had entered Chad in southern Libya the previous week and had already captured much of the Tibesti region. They had declared their intention to go to the capital.
Perhaps it was no surprise that Deby was on the front lines of the battle. Before taking power, he received military training in France and was the main military adviser to his predecessor, Hissene Habre, whom he overthrew in 1990.
Just last year, he marched on the fronts around Lake Chad as the army fought the Boko Haram terrorist group. Deby was above all a soldier.
In 2006, when Chad was overtaken by refugees fleeing the Darfur conflict in Sudan, Deby told CNN’s Nic Robertson: “I am the only president who says we must wage war to bring peace. It was made in Bosnia. Why not in Darfur? ? If need be, let us bring peace by force. ”
When Deby traveled north over the weekend, he had just won a sixth term in elections boycotted by much of the opposition to extend his 30-year term.
N’djamena’s accounts since his death were announced on Tuesday describing the atmosphere as gloomy and anxious, with many shops closed.
Most Chadians have known no other leader. Before this year’s election, Deby said: “I know in advance that I will win, as I have done for the last 30 years.”
The fight against jihad
Deby’s death concerns France – the former colonial power – as one of his most trusted allies in Africa and a cornerstone in fighting the spread of Islamist terrorist groups in the Sahel.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office paid tribute to him on Tuesday, saying France had lost a “brave friend.” Macron will also attend Deby’s funeral on Friday, according to the French government.
But his death also presents uncertain times for the country itself.
The French army has about 5,000 soldiers fighting Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other terrorist groups in the Sahel region in what is called Operation Barkhane.
Chad was its main ally in the long-running conflict in Mali and was at the forefront of the conflict with Boko Haram around Lake Chad, which borders northern Nigeria.
Chad has borders with six countries, including the Central African Republic, Niger and Sudan.
It is a volatile neighborhood, and incursions into Chad beyond its borders are frequent. Some analysts believe that the Chadian army is overburdened with both its regional role and the frequency of riots at home.
The transitional military council that will now lead the country is headed by Deby’s son, Mahammat Kaka, who is already 37 years old.
He has been in the military since he was a teenager and saw service in northern Chad, according to a biography published by the council. On Wednesday, young Deby signed a statement naming the fifteen members of the council – all military,
According to a charter published on Wednesday, the transition council will lead Chad for 18 months – but this can be extended.
The charter replaces the constitution of Chad, according to which the president of the National Assembly should have become interim president. Young Deby promised “free, democratic and transparent elections.”
France was quick to support the transition, saying in a statement on Tuesday that it “expresses its strong commitment to the stability and territorial integrity of Chad.”
The United States has taken a different approach, saying it supports “a peaceful transition of power under the Chadian Constitution,” according to the State Department spokesman’s Twitter account.
A mountain of challenges
Whether young Déby has the political skills to manage Chad’s many rival constituencies – ethnic and military – is questionable.
His father faced several rebellions during his three decades in power, often with the help of France.
At least twice, rebel forces arrived in the capital. The French aircraft were involved in February 2019 in targeting another rebel group – led by Deby’s nephew – which entered Chad from Libya, France’s first such intervention since 2008.
Some commentators believe that French military support for Déby has become almost unconditional.
Marielle Debos, an observer in Chad, wrote in 2019 that French attacks on Chadian rebels were a “sign that France is now supporting Deby at all costs, while ignoring the regime’s authoritarian practices and human rights violations.”
Young Déby faces a mountain of challenges. Four years ago, the United States Peace Institute warned that anyone who succeeded his father, “either democratically or otherwise, will have to prioritize not only the loyalty of the security forces, but also their ability to to intervene in difficult theaters ”.
Add to this an economy plagued by falling oil prices and rebellious movements invigorated by his father’s death.