PRESIDENT OF CHAD KILLED ON BATTLEFIELD AFTER THREE DECADES IN POWER.

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Chad’s President Idriss Deby,who ruled his country for more than 30 years and was an important Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in Africa,died Tuesday 20th April of wounds suffered on the battlefield during a fight against rebels, the military announced on national television and radio.Deby’s son, Mahamat Kaka, was immediately named interim president by a transitional council of military officers, spokesman Azem Bermendao Agouna said in a broadcast on state television.He had led a brigade against rebels in the North of the country.His death is coming after he won his re-election for a 6th term.Deby, 68, won a sixth term in provisional election results but postponed his victory speech and went to visit Chadian soldiers in the war front. 

“In the face of this worrying situation, the people of Chad must show their attachment to peace, to stability and to national cohesion,” Gen. Azem Bermandoa Agouma said. The circumstances of Deby’s death could not immediately be independently confirmed because of the remote location. It was not known why the president would have visited the area or participated in ongoing clashes with the rebels who opposed his rule. The military said Deby had taken “the heroic lead in combat operations against terrorists who had come from Libya.” After being wounded in battle, he was taken to the capital, N’Djamena, the general announced. 

The shocking announcement came just a few hours after the electoral commission had declared Idriss Deby the winner of the April 11 presidential election, giving him the opportunity to rule for another six years. Idriss has been the supreme military commander and ruler of the Central African country since 1990. He took power by organising a rebellion against President Hissene Habre in December 1990,who was later convicted of human rights abuses at an international tribunal in Senegal. Before now, he has survived various rebellions and coup attempts against his own leadership.

Author: Ibukun Babatunde

Lagos, Nigeria

babatundeibukun16@gmail.com

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