N'DJAMENA, Chad 鈥� Chad鈥檚 president of three decades died of wounds suffered during a visit to front-line troops battling a shadowy rebel group, the military announced Tuesday, as the insurgents vowed to take the capital in what could become a violent battle for control of the oil-rich Central African nation.
The military quickly named President Idriss Deby Itno's son as the country's interim leader, capping a series of stunning announcements that came just hours after the 68-year-old Deby had been declared winner of an election that would have given him another six years in power.
鈥淐had is not a monarchy. There can be no dynastic devolution of power in our country,鈥� the rebels said in a statement late Tuesday, vowing to press their fight for the capital. 鈥淭丑别 forces of the Front for Change and Concord are heading toward N鈥橠jam茅na at this very moment. With confidence, but above all with courage and determination.鈥�
The circumstances of Deby's death remained murky and some observers immediately questioned the events leading up to Tuesday's announcement, raising the question of whether the military handing over power to Deby's son instead of following the
鈥淭丑别re is a great deal of uncertainty around how events in Chad will unfold: Whether the army will stay loyal to Deby鈥檚 son and continue the effort to repel the advancing rebels?" said Cameron Hudson with the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council.
Chadians fed up after 30 years of Deby's rule could also align with the calls for change, he said.
鈥淓ither scenario presents a high risk of civilian casualties and a likelihood that fleeing civilians or soldiers could export Chad鈥檚 instability to
Deby's 37-year-old son, Mahamat, is best known as a top commander of the Chadian forces aiding a U.N. peacekeeping mission in northern Mali. The military said Tuesday he now will head an 18-month transitional council following his father's death.
However, Chad's constitution calls for the National Assembly to step in when a president dies while in office.
The military called for calm, instituting a 6 p.m. curfew and closing the country's land and air borders as panic kept many inside their homes in the capital, N鈥橠jamena.
鈥淚n the face of this worrying situation, the people of Chad must show their commitment to peace, to stability, and to national cohesion,鈥� Gen. Azem Bermandoa Agouma said.
The circumstances of Deby鈥檚 death could not immediately be independently confirmed due to the remote location of the fighting.
The government has released few details of its efforts to put down the rebellion in northern Chad, though it did announce Saturday that it had 鈥渢otally decimated鈥� one rebel column of fighters.
The rebel group later put out a statement saying fierce battles had erupted Sunday and Monday. It released a list of five high-ranking military officials who it said were killed, and 10 others it said were wounded, including Chad's president.
The army only said Tuesday that Deby had fought heroically but was wounded in a battle. He was then taken to the capital where he died of unspecified wounds.
The United Nations has about 1,800 staffers in Chad and spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in New York that the U.N. was 鈥渨atching the situation hour by hour.鈥�
Some residents of the capital said they feared there was more to the story of Deby鈥檚 demise.
鈥淭丑别
Some foreign observers also questioned how a head of state could have been killed, saying it cast doubt on his protective guard. The Chadian military has only acknowledged five deaths in weekend fighting in which it said it killed 300 rebels.
鈥淲e still don鈥檛 have the whole story,鈥� Laith Alkhouri, a global intelligence adviser, told The Associated Press. 鈥淚t raises concerns regarding the security forces鈥� assessment of the clashes and their intelligence regarding the severity of the situation.鈥�
Deby, former army commander-in-chief, was a major French ally in the fight against Islamic extremism in Africa, hosting the base for the French military鈥檚 Operation Barkhane and supplying critical troops to the peacekeeping effort in northern Mali.
French
鈥淲hat鈥檚 central to us now is that a process of democratic transition can be implemented and the stability of Chad preserved,鈥� she said.
鈥淔or the rest, she added, French authorities need 鈥渁 bit more time鈥� to analyze the situation.
Earlier, the French presidency called Deby 鈥渁 courageous friend.鈥�
Chad is losing 鈥渁 great soldier and a president who worked non-stop for the security of the country and the stability of the region for three decades,鈥� it said in a statement.
Deby first came to power in 1990 when his rebel forces overthrew then-President Hissene Habre, who was later convicted of human rights abuses at an international tribunal in Senegal.
Over the years Deby had survived numerous armed rebellions and managed to stay in power until this latest insurgency led by the Front for Change and Concord in Chad.
The rebels are believed to have armed and trained in
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Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya; Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations contributed.
Edouard Takadji And Krista Larson, The Associated Press
