Chadian President Idriss Deby killed while visiting troops fighting rebels

Deby came to power in a rebellion in 1990 and was one of Africa’s longest-ruling leaders, having secured a sixth term earlier this week

He was a reliable Western ally in a turbulent region. His death is a blow to France, which based its counterterrorism operations in the Chadian capital

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Chadian President Idriss Deby. Photo: AP

Published: 8:07pm, 20 Apr 2021Updated: 11:59pm, 20 Apr 2021

Chad’s President Idriss Deby has died while visiting troops on the frontline of a fight against northern rebels, the country’s army said on Tuesday, the day after Deby was declared the winner of a presidential election.

Deby’s son, Mahamat Kaka, was named interim president by a transitional council of military officers, spokesman Azem Bermendao Agouna said in a broadcast on state television.

Deby, 68, came to power in a rebellion in 1990 and was one of Africa’s longest-ruling leaders. He and his army have been seen as a reliable Western ally in a turbulent region afflicted by jihadists.

His campaign said on Monday he was joining troops on the frontline after rebels based across the northern frontier in Libya advanced hundreds of kilometres south toward the capital N’Djamena.

The exact cause of death was not yet clear but a European diplomatic source said he had been killed.

“A call to dialogue and peace is launched to all Chadians in the country and abroad in order to continue to build Chad together,” Bermendao said, surrounded by several officers.

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