Chad: Mahamat Itno, dead President Deby's son named interim leader
Apr 22, 2021
N'Djamena [Chad], April 22 : In the wake of Idriss Deby's death on the battlefield, the military on Wednesday consolidated behind the longtime leader's son - Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.
Chad's presidency released a "transition charter" that will repeal the country's constitution and serve as the "basic law of the republic", reported DW News Agency.
The military council in temporary control had already announced that President Idriss Deby's son Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno would take over the reins of power in the Central African country after the killing of his father on Monday by rebels, but sought to solidify that position on Wednesday.
The younger Deby, a 37-year-old general, will now head a Military Transitional Council consisting of himself and 14 military leaders who were allies and supporters of his father. He has been named "Supreme Head of the Armed Forces" and will "occupy the functions of the president of the republic," as well as assuming the leadership of the councils of ministers and of defense, reported DW News Agency.
Mahamat Idriss Debby Itno himself signed a decree on Tuesday tasking the military council with heading an 18-month transition toward "free and democratic elections."
President Idriss Deby succumbed to his injuries suffered on the frontline while fighting rebels in the north of the Sahel country.
This comes after Deby, 68, won a sixth term in the latest provisional results on Monday by 79.3 per cent, according to The Africa Report. The elections were held on April 11 and had a turnout of just under 65 per cent.
Deby came to power through a rebellion in 1990.
Deby postponed his victory speech to supporters and instead went to visit Chadian soldiers on the frontlines, as per his campaign manager.
The rebel group Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), which is based across the northern frontier with Libya, attacked a border post on election day and then advanced hundreds of kilometres south.
The killing of Deby have raised concerns that the country, and ultimately the entire region, could fall into a state of violent chaos, reported DW News Agency.
France, the former colonial ruler of what is today Chad, is also keenly watching developments. Chad has played a pivotal role in the West's war on Islamic terror in the Sahel region and has been praised by France for its steadfast allegiance in battling groups such as Boko Haram, al-Qaida and Islamic State in the Sahel.
