Military Says That Chad’s President Killed on Battlefield

Chadian President Idriss Dèby attends a meeting with EU and African leaders at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Aug. 28, 2017. Pludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

N'DJAMENA, Chad—Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno, who ruled the central African nation for more than three decades, was killed Tuesday on the battlefield in a fight against rebels, the military announced on national television and radio.

The military said that a transitional council will be led by Deby’s son, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.