The state funeral of Chad’s long-serving President Idriss Déby is being held after he was killed by rebels. Among the foreign leaders is France’s President Emmanuel Macron, for whom Chad is a key ally in the fight against jihadists in region.
Friday’s ceremony includes a military march-past and a speech by his son and the army’s named successor Gen Mahamat “Kaka” Déby Itno. After the ceremony in N’Djamena, Déby will be buried in his native region.The army says President Déby died in a battle with a dissident army rebel group, called Fact, in the country’s north on Tuesday.
Other visiting heads of state include the leaders of Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Nigeria – who have all ignored warnings from the rebels that they should not attend for security reasons.
