On Tuesday, the Chadian army announced that the President of the Republic, Idriss Déby, had died of wounds sustained while on the battlefield with rebels in the north of the country.
In a statement broadcast on state television, the army said, “The President of the Republic, Idriss Déby Itno, breathed his last, defending the unity and integrity of the territories on the battlefield.”
He added, “We announce with great sorrow to the Chadian people the news of the death of Marichel Chad on Tuesday,” a day after announcing his victory for a sixth presidential term.
An army spokesman, Azm Bermandoa Aguna, told television that Deby was injured “during battles against the rebels in the north of the country over the weekend.”
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Bermando Aguna stated that a transitional military council was formed to run the country under the leadership of Mohamed Idriss Deby, son of the late president and commander of the Presidential Guard.
He continued, “A military council was formed under the leadership of the son of General Muhammad Idris Deby,” pointing out that “the council met immediately and announced a charter for the transfer of power.”
This came after local journalists revealed that Parliament and the government had been dissolved due to the killing of the President.
They also indicated that steps had been taken to form a military council headed by Muhammad Idris Déby for a period of 18 months.
According to a report by the “Associated Press” of America, it is not possible to immediately confirm the circumstances of Deby’s death, since it is not known yet the reason for his visit to the battlefield.
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It was not known whether he was fighting by himself in the ongoing clashes with the rebels opposed to his rule, or if he was visiting the participating forces and was targeted.
In this regard, the British Broadcasting Corporation “BBC” said that Deby went to the front lines on the border between his country and Libya to “visit the army forces fighting against the rebels.”
On Monday, the electoral commission in Chad announced the re-election of Deby, who has been in office for 30 years for a sixth term.
It ended with 79.32 percent of the vote in the presidential poll that took place on April 11.
Idriss Déby came to power after former Chadian President Hossein Habré appointed him commander-in-chief of the Chadian forces, then a presidential advisor for military affairs.
After their differences, Déby established an armed movement he called the “National Salvation Movement” and overthrew Habari, then assumed the presidency in February 1991.
