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Chad

Chad: President Déby’s Death Leaves Vacuum in Volatile Region

Now, the West must grapple with the loss of a longtime regional ally in counterterrorism as Chad’s political stability is in question.

Thursday, April 22, 2021 / By: Kamissa Camara; Jérôme Tubiana

The sudden violent death of Idriss Déby, the leader of Chad since 1990, throws the central African country into uncertainty. During a visit to the military frontline, Déby was allegedly killed in fighting in the country’s Lake Chad region, just days after the uncompetitive April 11 presidential elections in which he was re-elected for a sixth term. As USIP’s Kamissa Camara and researcher Jérôme Tubiana explain, Déby’s death does not change the structural deficiencies of the Chadian state. At the same time, Déby’s death leaves the West without a long-time ally in counterterrorism in the greater Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, and how the transition is managed has implications for the wider region, too.

Read the full report.