The death of the Chadian head of state Idriss Déby Itno barely announced, a transitional military council of fifteen generals took power for a period of 18 months before, they announce that a “free and democratic election” is being held. Idriss Déby’s son, General Mahamat Idriss Déby, is the first of them: a man of power, military but quite discreet.
Mahamat Idriss Déby is a pure product of the Chadian army, and according to some sources, he enjoyed the full military trust of his father. For 37 years he studied at the Groupement des écoles military interarmées du Chad. He then took a course stay at a military school in France, before integrating the Chadian armies, in accordance with his father’s directive.
He then joined the General Directorate of Security Service for State Institutions (DGSSIE), the famous presidential guard. Mahamat Idriss Déby, who has already passed the test in the field since 2009, only 25 years old, he participated in the victorious battle at Am-Dam against a rebel coalition, led by Timan Erdimi, east of Chad.
At the head of DGSSIE
In 2012, he was appointed to a position of trust, at the head of the group responsible for the security of the Presidential Palace, still within DGSSIE. He will take the lead for the latter.
Less known than his brother, Zakaria Idriss Déby Itno, deputy director of the civilian cabinet in the presidency, he is perceived by some opponents as Idriss Déby’s “executive hand.” In recent years, there have been echoes of discussions within the presidential clan to consider that a son or another family member may succeed the president, explains Jérôme Tubiana, a specialist in Chad, at RFI. But these discussions were quite divisive and did not necessarily lead to success. So Mahamat was not the only option. There is the choice of “family soldier”. He was not necessarily elected to succeed his father but to react rather quickly to an unexpected death. “
This DGSSIE, which he led, stormed the home of opponent Yaya Dillo a few months ago, while the latter was in legal proceedings with the first lady. This operation had killed several members of the opponent’s family, including his mother. After all, for an observer of civil society, he is a highly esteemed leader for his men and who has earned the respect of his soldiers on the battlefield. During this troubled period, he would be a stabilizing factor that would become unanimous among the generals.
► To also read:[En direct] Chad: after the death of President Déby, a military council in the head of the country
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