Chad’s army says President Idriss Deby has been killed in clashes with rebels, ending his 30-year grip on power in the Central African nation.
Speaking on state television Tuesday, an army spokesman said Deby died of injuries sustained while visiting troops on the front line. A rebel force known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad has advanced from the north in recent days toward the capital, N’Djamena.
Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, 37, the son of Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno, is seen during a military broadcast announcing the death of his father on state television, April 20, 2021.
The government and parliament have been dissolved, and the army spokesman, Azem Bermendao Agouna, said a military council will take charge of Chad for the next 18 months. He said the council will be led by Deby’s 37-year-old son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.
There has been no independent confirmation on the circumstances of the Chadian president’s death. VOA News
