African leaders expressed shock and dismay at the death of Chad’s President Idriss Déby who was shot as he confronted advancing Islamist rebels.
Mali’s interim President Bah Ndaw spoke of his “brutal” death and called it a heavy loss for the Sahel region’s fight against jihadists.
Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum acknowledged Mr Déby’s deep personal engagement against terrorists – while the Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari said he’d played a very active role against the Islamist group, Boko Haram.
Cameroon’s Paul Biya called the death an “immense loss for Chad, central Africa and the continent” which he served “tirelessly”.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had “received with sadness the disturbing news of the death”.
He said: “We condemn in the strongest terms the violence that has claimed so many lives, including that of President Déby”.
Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi. who is also the AU president, said it was “a great loss for Chad and for all of Africa”.
Mr Déby had only just won a sixth term in office.
The army says his son, Mahamat Idriss Déby Kaka, is taking over as interim president until elections next year.
This has been rejected by the opposition.
The rebels who launched their attack on polling day have also rejected the transitional military authority and vowed to pursue their offensive.
Source: BBC
