Officials in Israel's National Security Council on Tuesday – several hours after Chadian President Idriss Deby died from wounds he suffered while visiting troops on the frontline – said the transition of power to his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, wasn't expected to damage the close ties between the Jewish state and large African country.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had developed a good relationship with Deby, issued a statement of condolence in Arabic and English.
Israeli diplomats noted that Chad was the first Muslim country in the extended region to begin normalizing ties with Israel, a step that paved the way for others to do the same.
Israel Hayom has learned that the leaders of those Muslim and Arab countries, while weighing whether to normalize relations with Israel, consulted with Deby before making their decision and that his recommendations were always positive. Israeli officials also believe that the success of the normalization process with Chad encouraged other countries to follow suit.
Deby, 68, came to power in a rebellion in 1990 and was one of Africa's longest-ruling leaders, surviving numerous coup attempts and rebellions.
As stated, his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president by a transitional council of military officers.
Deby's death was announced the day after he was declared the winner of a presidential election that would have given him a sixth term in office. Most of the opposition, which had long complained of his repressive rule, boycotted the vote.
Deby, who often joined soldiers on the battlefront in his military fatigues, visited troops on the frontline on Monday after rebels based across the northern frontier in Libya advanced hundreds of kilometers south toward the capital N'Djamena.
"Marshal Idriss Deby Itno, as he did each time that the institutions of the republic were gravely threatened, took control of operations during the heroic combat led against the terrorist from Libya. He was wounded during the fighting and died once repatriated to N'Djamena," Bermendao said.
The government and National Assembly have been dissolved, and a nationwide curfew was imposed from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
"The National Council of Transition reassures the Chadian people that all measures have been taken to guarantee peace, security, and the republican order," Bermendao said.
Western countries have seen Deby as an ally in the fight against Islamist extremist groups, including Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin and groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State in the Sahel.
His death is a blow to former colonial power France, which had based its Sahel counter-terrorism operations in N'Djamena. Chad had announced in February the deployment of 1,200 troops to complement 5,100 French soldiers in the area.
Deby visited Israel in 2018 to start a process of reviving ties that the African country severed in 1972. In 2020, a Chadian delegation and Netanyahu discussed "appointing ambassadors and opening diplomatic missions, including [by Chad] in Jerusalem," a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said.
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