Chad’s president Idriss dies in rebel fighting after re-election

dpa N’Djamena Idriss Deby Itno, who had just won re-election to a sixth term as president of Chad, is dead after fighting with rebel forces, military spok...

dpa N’DjamenaIdriss Deby Itno, who had just won re-election to a sixth term as president of Chad, is dead after fighting with rebel forces, military spokesperson Azem Bermandoa Agouna said on Tuesday.“The president of the republic, head of state, supreme chief of the armed forces, Idriss Deby Itno, has just taken his last breath on the battlefield in defence of territorial integrity,” Agouna said.The circumstances of his death were not immediately released.Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, the late president’s son and a four-star general, is to lead an 18-month transitional military government, Agouna said. It includes 14 senior generals who were loyal to his father - most of whom were at his side when he died 400 kilometres north of the capital, N’djamena, near the village of Kanem.The government and the National Assembly have been dissolved.Instead of the current constitution, a national transitional charter will be announced shortly.A 14-day national mourning was also imposed. Air and land borders have been closed until further notice, and a curfew is in effect between 6 pm and 5 am (1700 to 0400 GMT).Deby’s funeral would take place on Friday at his birthplace, Amdjarass, with close family members. Before, last honours would be conferred to him in the capital’s mosque.Chadian soldiers have been clashing with armed rebels fighting for the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), many of whom are believed to have crossed into the country from neighbouring Libya in time for the April 11 presidential election.In recent days, the fighters have been trying to advance towards N’Djamena, but faced heavy resistance from Chad’s army.FACT is a military and political rebel movement founded in 2016 that has sought to destabilize the government of Deby, who kept a firm grip on power for some 30 years and whose tenure was marked by mismanagement, corruption and nepotism.The announcement of Deby’s death at the age of 68 came a day after electoral authorities in the impoverished and terrorism-stricken central African country said he won a sixth term by garnering nearly 80 per cent of the April vote.Chad, a former French colony, carries strategic significance for Europe. About 5,100 French soldiers and fighter pilots are stationed in Chad in support of the G5 Sahel alliance fighting Islamist terrorism in the region.Several terrorist groups are active in the Sahel. In addition to Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso also participate in the military alliance.Political leaders expressed their condolences following the death.“Chad lost a great soldier and a president who worked unceasingly for three decades for the security of the country and the stability of the region,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement, calling Deby a “courageous friend” of France.But aside from expressing their condolences, political leaders across the world also voiced their worry about the stability in the region.French Defence Minister Florence Parly said France had lost an important ally in the fight against terrorism in the region.In a similar vein, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, expressed his condolences to the family, and to the Chadian authorities and people. “The EU calls on all relevant actors to act responsibly, the immediate priority being the stability of the country and the region,” Borrell said.