Chad President Idriss Deby killed on frontlines, says army, soon after poll win.

In a turn of events, the people of Chad witnessed Idriss Deby’s presidency come to an end after 3 whole decades as he was killed on April 20, 2021. He was first elected for the presidential office in 1990 and was successful in repressing and surviving numerous rebellions and coup attempts against his own rule. Furthermore, Idriss Deby went on to win the elections in 1996 and 2001. After the elimination of term limits, he won again in 2006,2011, 2016.

Deby’s rule was quite controversial. According to various sources, while his government did support counterterrorism operations in the Sahel and the Lake Chad basin, it failed to address repression and violations of social and economic rights at home. A report published by Human Rights Watch states that Idriss Deby was accountable for various incidents of political killings, systematic torture and ethnic purges as well.

Deby’s shocking and untimely death comes a mere day after the results of the presidential election were announced. He was credited with 79% of the vote, paving his way to power for 6 more years in Chad. The military made a nationwide announcement through radio and television to inform the people of Deby’s death. The military stated that he had died while visiting troops on the frontline of a fight against northern rebels.

Upon Idriss Deby’s death, The Chadian Parliament has been dissolved and a Transitional Military Council has been formed in its place with his son Mahamat Deby as chairman which will look after the country’s matters for the next 18 months. According to a report published by Human Rights Watch, this contradicts the nation’s constitution, which states that in case of a president’s death, the president of the national assembly should provisionally lead the country for 45 to 90 days before a new election.

The death of Idriss Deby will most likely affect France- Chad relations. France is one of Chad’s main economic partners and 20 subsidiaries of French businesses operate in Chad. Needless to say, the various famous French newspapers like Le Monde, Liberation and Le Figaro all ran the news of Deby’s death on their front page. On Tuesday, the French Ministry for Europe and foreign affairs issued a statement saying, “Chad is losing a friend of France and a reliable partner who has worked indefatigably for the protection of his country as well as the stability of the Sahel.

The whole world stands in solidarity with the people of Chad as they navigate through such a difficult and challenging time.

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