The Chadian army has installed Mahamat Deby as the transitional head of state following Tuesday’s confirmation of his father Idriss Déby’s death after sustaining wounds from the battlefield.
The son steps into his father’s shoes!
Mahamat is a 37 year-old three-star general who has succeeded his father Idriss, who was killed “on the field of battle,” on Tuesday according to the army.
Until now, General Mahamat Déby was the head of the all-powerful General Directorate of Security Services of State Institutions (DGSSIE), which includes the presidential guard.
He is supposed to lead Chad with the help of a Transitional Military Council (CMT) until the holding of general elections next year.
According to the CMT, which suspended the constitution and dissolved the government and the National Assembly, an eighteen-month transition period has been instituted, at the end of which new institutions will be established following “free, democratic and transparent” elections.
Idriss Déby Itno, who has led the country for 30 years, is said to have succumbed to wounds sustained in combat in the Kanem region in recent days against rebels of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT).
This politico-military movement, based in Libya and opposed to the regime launched an offensive in Chadian territory on 11 April, the same day Déby sought a sixth term in office.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), which published the official results of the first round of the latest presidential election on Monday, Idriss Déby Itno was re-elected with 79.32 percent of the vote.
The new authorities have closed the country’s land borders and declared a nationwide curfew “until further notice.”
Wedged between Libya, Central and West Africa, Chad is one of the main African actors in the fight against jihadist groups, especially in Nigeria and the Sahel where its seasoned troops have often been sent to the front line.
They have been present in Mali, Nigeria and recently in Niger.
ODL/los/te/as/APA