14/03/2023
Idriss Déby Itno, the last president-warrior fallen in combat: unforeseeable consequences for the stability of the Sahel.- Alberto Gallego Gordón
Nothing could have predicted that, barely a week after being re-elected for his sixth legislature, in April 2021 the President of the Republic of Chad, Idriss Déby Itno, would die in combat facing a rebel group. Undoubtedly, his background as a warrior made him different from a typical president, since he had come to power through a coup and on more than one occasion had had to personally take up arms to defend himself against his enemies. .
For more than three decades, he assumed power with an iron fist. A firm standard-bearer in the fight against insurgencies and jihadist terrorism that has ravaged the Sahel in recent years and a faithful ally of France, the loss of Idriss Déby Itno and the consequent uncertainty generated in the country could result in undesirable instability, which could contribute to further chaos in the region, which is increasingly conflict-ridden.
Document prepared by Alberto Gallego Gordon. Colonel of the EAE (R.). PhD in International Relations.