Emerging report indicates that the Chadian Army has announced Idriss Deby’s 37-year-old son, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, a 4-star General, as the new Leader of the country.
President Idriss Deby reportedly died on the battlefield, after 3 decades in power, the Army announced on State Television, on Tuesday.
The shocking announcement came after the 68-year-old was proclaimed the winner of the Presidential election that had given him a 6th term in Office.
The Chadian Army said that the late President Deby was commanding his Army, at the weekend, as it battled against rebels who had launched a major incursion into the Northern region of the country, on election day.
President Deby “has just breathed his last breath, defending the sovereign nation on the battlefield”, the Army Spokesman, General Azem Bermandoa Agouna, said in a statement read out on State Television.
President Deby had ruled Chad for 3 decades, and was a key Ally in the West’s anti-jihadist campaign in the troubled Sahel region.
On Monday, the Army had claimed “great victory” in its battle against the rebels from neighbouring Libya, saying that, it had killed 300 fighters, with the loss of 5 Soldiers in its own ranks, during 8 days of combat.
President Deby would have been one of the longest-serving Leaders in the world, after provisional results showed him winning the April 11 election.
More news later…