Idriss Deby: Chad ruler who held on power, died battling rebels

President of more than 30 years had fought off several rebellions and was increasingly seen as silencing rivals.

Idriss Deby was known for visiting the battlefield. After Boko Haram fighters launched a deadly attack on a Chadian army base in the village of Bohoma in March last year, the longtime president was seen walking on the shores of Lake Chad, next to his troops. On Tuesday, Chad’s armed forces stunned the nation by announcing that Deby had died from wounds suffered while leading soldiers on the front line against rebels advancing from the north towards the capital, N’Djamena. He was 68. “The president of the republic, head of state, supreme chief of the army, Idriss Deby Itno, just drew his last breath while defending the nation’s integrity on the battlefield,” army spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna said in a televised statement while surrounded by men in army fatigues.