President killed while leading troops against rebels, says army
The autocratic president of Chad, who was regarded by the West as an important ally and a bulwark of stability in one of Africa’s most lawless regions, has been killed during a visit to frontline troops, the army said.
Idriss Deby, 68, was reported to have died of injuries suffered while commanding his men in a battle with rebels who had crossed into Chad from Libya.
His sudden death will raise fears among Chad’s allies about the country’s future role in the war against the jihadist groups, including Boko Haram, that have built strongholds in the region.
Operation Barkhane, the French anti-insurgent operation in the Sahel, is based in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. Chad’s strategic location and French-trained army, regarded as one of Africa’s best, had long persuaded Western allies to turn a blind eye to Deby’s abuses.
France hailed him as a ‘‘brave friend’’ and a ‘‘true soldier’’, and Defence Minister Florence Parly lamented the loss of a ‘‘key ally’’ in the fight against the Islamists. The landlocked former French colony borders several states that are racked with conflict, including Sudan, Libya, Central African Republic, Nigeria and Niger.
As news of Deby’s death spread, the streets of N’Djamena became choked with traffic as residents attempted to flee, fearing a breakdown in order and possible violence. Chad’s military is divided, and the opposition is agitating against decades of repressive rule.
Deby’s death was announced hours after early results showed that he had won an election, his sixth, to extend his 30 years in power. He had postponed a victory speech to supporters and instead went to visit his troops.
A lack of details about how the president was allowed to come so close to active combat, and the slick announcement that power was passing to his son, a four-star general, as the head of a new military council, sparked rumours of a coup. A nationwide curfew has been imposed.
Deby’s rule had looked under threat by forces of the rebel Front for Change and Concord in Chad (Fact), who overran a northern border post on April 11, election day, and advanced to within 300 kilometres of the capital. The rebels have vowed to march to N’Djamena.
After coming to power in a rebellion that toppled President Hissene Habre in 1990, Deby survived a series of coup attempts, often with the help of France.
In 2019, fighter jets were diverted from jihadist targets in the Sahel to halt Fact insurgents. In February 2008, a rebel assault reached the gates of the presidential palace before being pushed back with French help.