Over 90% vote in favour as Chad elevates Mahamat Deby to highest military rank
Chad’s National Transitional Council has approved the elevation of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno to the rank of field marshal, the country’s highest military position.
According to a council statement, over 90% of the councillors voted in favour of the move during a plenary session on Monday, December 9.
President Deby, 40, is a former army general who took office in 2021 after the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who died from injuries sustained during a military confrontation in northern Chad. Idriss Deby ruled Chad for 30 years, serving as the country’s sixth president.
Following a constitutional referendum on December 17, 2023, Mahamat Deby won the presidential election in May 2024 after leading Chad’s transitional government for three years.
He will now serve as Chad’s seventh president for a five-year term, with the option to seek reelection for another term at the end of his presidency.
