Chad’s President Idriss Déby was killed in a confrontation with rebels in the country’s north at the weekend, the army announced on state television.
His death occurred only days after preliminary election results predicted that he will secure a sixth term in office with 80% of the vote.
The cabinet as well as the legislature have been disbanded. For the next 18 months, the country will be governed by a military council.
In 1990, an armed rebellion brought Mr. Déby to power.
He’d gone to the front lines over the weekend to see soldiers fighting rebels across the Libyan border.