Battle Wounds Kill Chad's President Idriss Deby

Chad's President Idriss Deby died at the age of 68 from wounds sustained in fighting against rebels of the Front for Alternation and Concord in Chad (FACT). This came a day after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the April 11 election.

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"It is with deep bitterness that we announce to the Chadian people the passing of Chadian Marshal Idriss Deby Itno," Army spokesman Gen. Azem Bermandoa Agouna said.

A transitional military council led by Deby's son Gen. Mahamat Idriss Deby will rule the country for the next 18 months. Among its first decisions are the dissolution of the constitution, the government, and the parliament.

Authorities also declared a 14-day national mourning period, a nationwide curfew from 6:00 pm until 5:00 am, and the closure of land and air borders.

Deby's death was announced after the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) proclaimed the provisional results of the presidential election held on April 11, which gave him victory with 79.32 percent of the vote.

Although the elections were held calmly, the FACT members made an incursion into national territory on that day to overthrow Deby. Although they claimed to control the province of Tibesti and Kanem, the Chadian Army denied it, saying that over 300 rebels were killed and another 150 were arrested in Kanem.

On Monday night, the FACT announced that at least 15 senior officers had been killed or wounded. Among them was Deby's name.

The FACT is a Chadian political-military group composed of about 3,000 fighters from Goran, an ethnic group to which belongs the former president Hissene Habre who was overthrown by Deby in 1990. This group was created in 2016 and is based in Libya.