Idriss Déby Itno (Arabic:إدريس ديبيIdrīs Daybī Itnū; 18 June 1952 – 20 April 2021) was a Chadian politician and military officer who was the 6thpresident of Chad from 1991 until his death in 2021 during theNorthern Chad offensive.[4] His term of office of more than 30 years makes himChad's longest-serving president.
Déby was a member of theBidayat clan of theZaghawa ethnic group. A high-ranking commander of PresidentHissène Habré's military during the 1980s, Déby played important roles in theToyota War which led to Chad's victory during theChadian-Libyan War. He was later purged by Habré after being suspected of plotting a coup, and was forced into exile in Libya. He took power by leading acoup d'état against Habré in December 1990. Despite introducing a multi-party system in 1992 after several decades of one-party rule under his predecessors, throughout his presidency, hisPatriotic Salvation Movement was the dominant party. Déby won presidential elections in1996 and2001, and after term limits were eliminated he won again in2006,2011,2016, and2021.
During theSecond Congo War, Déby briefly ordered military intervention on the side of the Congolese government but soon withdrew when his forces were accused of looting and human rights abuses. In the early 2000s, oil was discovered in Chad, and Déby made petroleum production the driving force of the country's economy. He survived various rebellions and coup attempts against his own rule, including a rebellion led by his former defense ministerYoussouf Togoïmi from 1998 to 2002 as well as acivil war from 2005–2010 provoked by the refugee crisis of theWar in Darfur in neighboringSudan.
Déby was born on 18 June 1952,[12] in the village ofBerdoba, approximately 190 kilometers fromFada in northern Chad.[13] His father was a herdsman of the Bidayat clan of theZaghawa community. After attending the Qur'anic School inTiné, Déby studied at the École Française inFada and at the Franco-Arab school (Lycée Franco-Arabe) inAbéché.[13] He also attended theLycée Jacques Moudeina inBongor and held a bachelor's degree in science.[14]
After finishing school, he entered the Officers' School inN'Djamena.[13] From there he was sent toFrance for training, returning toChad in 1976 with a professional pilot certificate. He remained loyal to the army and PresidentFélix Malloum even after Chad's central authority crumbled in 1979.[13] He returned from France in February 1979 and found Chad had become a battleground for many armed groups.[13] Déby tied his fortunes to those ofHissène Habré, one of the chief Chadian warlords. A year afterHabré became president in 1982, Déby was made commander-in-chief of the army.
He distinguished himself in 1984 by destroying pro-Libyan forces in eastern Chad. In 1985, Habré sent him toParis to follow a course at theÉcole de Guerre and upon his return in 1986,[13] he was made chief military advisor to the president. In 1987, he confrontedLibyan forces on the field, with the help of France[13] in the so-called "Toyota War", adopting tactics that inflicted heavy losses on enemy forces. During the war, he also led a raid onMaaten al-Sarra Air Base inKufrah, in Libyan territory.[13] A rift emerged on 1 April 1989 between Habré and Déby over the increasing power of the Presidential Guard.
According toHuman Rights Watch,[15] Habré was found responsible for "widespreadpolitical killings, systematictorture, and thousands of arbitrary arrests", as well asethnic purges when it was perceived that group leaders could pose a threat to his rule, including many of Déby'sZaghawa ethnic group who supported the government.[13] Increasingly paranoid, Habré accused Déby, minister of the interior Mahamat Itno, and then commander-in-chief of the Chadian armyHassan Djamous of preparing acoup d'état. Déby fled first toDarfur, then toLibya, where he was welcomed byMuammar Gaddafi inTripoli.[13] Itno and Djamous were arrested and killed.[16] Since all three were ethnicZaghawa, Habré started a targeted campaign against the group which saw hundreds seized, tortured, and imprisoned. Dozens died in detention or were summarily executed.[16] In 2016, Habré was convicted ofwar crimes by a specially created international tribunal inSenegal.[17] Déby gave the Libyans detailed information aboutCIA operations in Chad. Gaddafi offered Déby military aid to seize power in Chad in exchange for Libyan prisoners of war.[13]
Idriss Déby assumed Chad's presidency in 1991. He was re-elected every five years up until the time of his death in 2021, equaling a total of 30 years in power.[19]
After three months of the provisional government, on 28 February 1991, a charter was approved for Chad with Déby as president. During the following two years, Déby faced a series of coup attempts as government forces clashed with pro-Habré rebel groups, such as the Movement for Democracy and Development (MDD).[22] Seeking to quell dissent, in 1993 Chad legalized political parties and held a National Conference which resulted in the gathering of 750 delegates, the government, trade unions, and the army to discuss the establishment of a pluralist democracy.[23][24]
However, unrest continued. The Comité de Sursaut National pour la Paix et la Démocratie (CSNPD), led by Lt. Moise Kette, and other southern groups sought to prevent the Déby government from exploiting oil in theDoba Basin[25] and started a rebellion that left hundreds dead. A peace agreement was reached in 1994, but it broke down soon thereafter. Two new groups, theArmed Forces for a Federal Republic (FARF) led by former Kette ally Laokein Barde, and the Democratic Front for Renewal (FDR), and a reformulated MDD clashed with government forces from 1994 to 1995.[26][24]
Déby, in the mid-1990s, gradually restored basic functions of government and entered into agreements with theWorld Bank andIMF to carry out substantial economic reforms.[24]
A new constitution was approved by referendum in March 1996, followed bya presidential election in June. Déby fell short of a majority; he was then elected president in the second round of votes held in July, with 69% of the vote.[27]
In 1998 theMDJT rebelled against Déby and his government. They signed a peace agreement in 2002.[citation needed]
Idriss Déby giving an interview in his office, 2004
In mid-April 2006, there wasfighting with rebels at N'Djaména, although the fighting soon subsided with government forces still in control of the capital.[30] Déby subsequently broke ties with Sudan, accusing it of backing the rebels,[31] and said that the May 2006 election would still take place.[32]
Déby was sworn in for another term in office on 8 August 2006.[33] Sudanese presidentOmar al-Bashir attended Déby's inauguration, and the two leaders agreed to restore diplomatic relations on this occasion.[34]
After Déby's re-election, several rebel groups broke apart. Déby was inAbéché from 11 to 21 September 2006, flying in a helicopter to personally oversee attacks onRally of Democratic Forces rebels.[35]
The rebellion in the east continued, and rebelsreached N'Djamena on 2 February 2008, with fighting occurring inside the city.[36] After days of fighting, the government remained in control of N'Djamena. Speaking at a press conference on 6 February, Déby said that his forces had defeated the rebels, whom he described as "mercenaries directed by Sudan", and that his forces were in "total control" of the city as well as the whole country.[37]
Against this backdrop, in June 2005, a successful referendum was held to eliminate a two-term constitutional limit, which enabled Déby to run again in 2006.[38] More than 77% of voters approved.[39] Déby was a candidate in the 2006 presidential election, held 3 May, which was greeted with an opposition boycott. According to official results Déby won the election with 64.67% of the vote.[40]
In 2000, with the north/south dispute quelled, Déby's government started building the country's first oil pipeline, the 1,070 kilometer Chad-Cameroon project.[41] The pipeline was completed in 2003 and praised by the World Bank as "an unprecedented framework to transform oil wealth into direct benefits for the poor, the vulnerable and the environment".[42]
Oil exploitation in the southernDoba region began in June 2000, with World Bank Board approval to finance a small portion of a project, theChad-Cameroon Petroleum Development Project, aimed at transport of Chadian crude through a 1000-km buried pipeline through Cameroon to theGulf of Guinea. The project established unique mechanisms for World Bank, private sector, government, and civil society collaboration to guarantee that future oil revenues benefit populations and result in poverty alleviation.[24]
However, with Chad receiving only 12.5% of profits from oil production, and the agreement for these revenues to be deposited into aLondon-basedCitibank escrow account monitored by an independent body to ensure the funds were used for public services and development,[43][44] not much wealth was immediately transferred to the country.
During theChad–Sudan conflict, Sudanese presidentOmar al-Bashir supported any rebel group fighting against theChadian government, and the proxy war saw opposition fighting on both sides. Déby visitedKhartoum in February 2010 and the leaders would meet again in July 2010 when Bashir visitedN'Djamena. These meetings resulted in Chad kicking out rebels while both counties committed to joint border patrols.[45][46] After Déby won the2011 Chadian presidential election, Omar al-Bashir decided to visitN'Djamena to attend his inauguration in August. Even though Chad was technically able to arrest al-Bashir, it and otherAfrican states declined to do so.[47]
On 25 April 2011, Déby was re-elected for a fourth term with 88.7% of the vote and reappointedEmmanuel Nadingar as Prime Minister.[48]
Because of Chad's strategic position in West Africa, Déby sent troops or played a key mediating role in tackling multiple regional crises, such asDarfur, theCentral African Republic (CAR),Mali, as well as the fight againstBoko Haram.[18][49]
With the security situation in the Central African Republic deteriorating, Déby decided in 2012 to deploy 400 troops to fight the CAR rebels. In January 2013, Chad also sent 2000 troops to fight Islamist groups in Mali, as part of France'sOperation Serval.[50][51]
In 2006, Chad was placed at the top of the list of the world's most corrupt nations byForbes magazine,[9][52][53][54] In 2012, Déby launched a nationwide anticorruption campaign calledOperation Cobra, which reportedly recovered some $50 million in embezzled funds.[55][56]Nongovernmental organizations say, however, that Déby has used such initiatives to punish rivals and reward cronies.[57] As of 2016, Transparency International ranked Chad 147 out of 168 nations on itscorruption index.[58]
Idriss Déby with Obamas in August 2014
Faced with a growing threat from Boko Haram, Déby increased Chad's participation in theMultinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a combined multinational formation comprising units fromNiger,Nigeria,Benin, and Cameroon.[59] In August 2015, Déby claimed in an interview that the MNJTF has successfully "decapitated" Boko Haram.[60]
Déby and his wife Hinda waiting to vote, April 2016
In January 2016, Déby succeededZimbabwe'sRobert Mugabe to become the chairman of the African Union for a one-year term. Upon his inauguration, Déby told presidents that conflicts around the continent had to end "Through diplomacy or by force... We must put an end to these tragedies of our time. We cannot make progress and talk of development if part of our body is sick. We should be the main actors in the search for solution to Africa's crises".[61] One of Déby's first priorities was to accelerate the fight against Boko Haram. On 4 March, the African Union agreed to expand the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to 10,000 troops.
During the21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) inParis, Idriss Déby raised the issue ofLake Chad, whose area was a small fraction of what it had been in 1973, and called on the international community to provide financing to protect the ecosystem.[62]
In February 2016, Déby was nominated by thePatriotic Salvation Movement to run for a new term in the April 2016 Presidential elections.[63] He pledged to reinstate term limits in theConstitution of Chad in saying that "We must limit terms, we must not concentrate on a system in which a change in power becomes difficult. "In 2005 the constitutional reform was conducted in a context where life of the nation was in danger".[64]
In January 2019, Déby andIsraeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu announced the resumption of diplomatic relations between Chad andIsrael. Netanyahu described his visit to Chad as “part of the revolution we are having in the Arab and Muslim world.”[66]
Déby signed a bill abolishingcapital punishment in 2020. The firing squad had last been used on terrorists in 2015.[67]
In March 2020, Déby set up a COVID-19 management committee, replacing the health monitoring unit.[68]
In June 2020, theNational Assembly bestowed Déby with the additional title of "Marshal of Chad", for "service rendered to the Nation and the numerous military victories won both inside and outside the country". He officially received the title during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of Chad's independence on 11 August.[69][70]
In February 2021, Déby announced Chad would send 1,200 soldiers alongside French troops to theSahel border betweenNiger,Mali, andBurkina Faso, to combatal-Qaeda linked groups.[71]
In the2021 presidential election, Déby won his sixth term as president, when results were announced on 19 April, with 79.32% of the votes.[72] In February earlier in the same year, Chadian security forces had attempted to arrest opposition leaderYaya Dillo Djérou, with Djérou claiming five members of his family were killed during this attempt, and the government instead reporting three were killed. Most political opponents had withdrawn from the election, urging a boycott, alleging attacks and excessive use of force by security forces during anti-government protests.[73] Instead of giving a victory speech, Déby went to command the Chadian soldiers in person on the frontlines fighting thenorthern rebel incursion by theFront for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT).[74][75]
According to the accounts from both military and rebel spokesmen, on 18 April he was said to have been caught in a crossfire in the village of Mele, near the town ofNokou, and sustained lethal gunshot injuries;[76] despite being immediately flown to the capital for emergency medical rescue,[77] he still succumbed to his wounds two days later and died on 20 April, at the age of 68.[78][79][80][81][82][83]
Déby's funeral took place on 23 April 2021.[96] On that day, thousands gathered in the streets ofN'Djamena to pay their respects to Déby. French PresidentEmmanuel Macron, Guinean PresidentAlpha Condé, and several other African leaders attended the funeral.[97][98][99]
Déby added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006. He was a graduate ofMuammar Gaddafi's World Revolutionary Center.[100]
Déby was polygamous and had four wives by 2018 – Zina Wazouna Ahmed Idriss, Hadja Halimé,Hinda Déby Itno (m. 2005), and Amani Musa Hila (m. 2012).[2]BBC News has also mentioned a fifth wife named Ali Bouye.[101] Déby had at least a dozen children.
In September 2005, Déby married Hinda (born 1977), who was reputed for her beauty.[2] This marriage attracted much attention in Chad, and due to tribal affiliations it was seen by many as a strategic means for Déby to bolster his support while under pressure from rebels.[102] Though she was not Déby's oldest or newest wife, Hinda Déby was considered the "First Lady of Chad" due to her influential positions in government and politics.[2] Hinda was a member of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency, serving as Special Secretary.[103] The daughter of a top Chadian diplomat, Hinda Déby Itno has dual Chadian andFrench citizenship.[101] She and Déby had five children, all born inNeuilly-sur-Seine, who also hold French nationality.[101]
On 2 July 2007, Déby's son,Brahim, was found dead aged 27 in the parking garage of his apartment nearParis.[105] A murder inquiry was launched by the French police. Blogger Makaila Nguebla attributes the defection of many Chadian government leaders to their indignation over Brahim's conduct: "He is at the root of all the frustration. He used to slap government ministers, senior Chadian officials were humiliated by Déby's son."[106] In July 2011, four men were convicted of "robbery leading to death without intention to kill" in the case and sentenced to prison sentences of between five and thirteen years.[107]
^ab"Chad profile".BBC News. 7 April 2016.Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved20 April 2021.
^"Profile: Idriss Deby". Al Jazeera. 3 February 2008.Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved20 April 2021.The PSM was supported by Libya and Sudan, and started rebel operations against Habre in 1989.
