N’DJAMENA – Chadian President Idriss Deby has died while visiting troops at the forefront of a fight against northern rebels, an army spokesman said on Tuesday, a day after Deby was named the winner. a presidential election has been declared.
Spokesman for Azy Bermendao Agouna, spokesperson for Azem Bermendao Agouna, said Deby’s son, Mahamat Kaka, had been appointed interim president by a transitional military officer.
Deby (68) came to power in a rebellion in 1990 and was one of the longest reigning leaders in Africa. He and his army are seen as a reliable Western ally in a turbulent region plagued by jihadists.
His campaign on Monday said he was joining forces calling the terrorists after rebels stationed across the northern border in Libya advanced hundreds of kilometers south in the direction of Chad’s capital N’Djamena.
The cause of his death was not yet clear.
“A call for dialogue and peace is being launched to all Chadians at home and abroad to continue building with Chad,” Bermendao said on television, surrounded by several officers.
“The National Council of Transition reassures the Chadian people that all measures have been taken to guarantee peace, security and republican order,” he said.
Deby, whose opponents accused him of oppressive rule, pushed through a new constitution in 2018 that would allow him to remain in power until 2033 – even if it reinstated the terms of the term.
He took the title ‘Marshal’ last year and said before last week’s election: ‘I know in advance that I will win, as I have done for the past 30 years.’
Deby also faced growing public discontent over his management of Chad’s oil wealth and the repression of opponents.
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But in the election results announced Monday, he is credited with 79 percent of the vote, giving him a sixth term. Several leading opposition figures boycotted the poll.
Western countries have seen Deby as an ally in the fight against Islamic extremist groups, including Boko Haram in the Chad Sea basin and groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Sahel.
His death is a blow to France, which has based its terrorist operations in the Sahel in the capital of Chad, N’Djamena.
Chad announced in February that 1,200 troops would be deployed to replenish 5,100 French troops in the area.
France, the former colonial power, has yet to officially respond.