Mahamat Déby

Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno (born 4 April 1984), also known by the nickname Kaka, is a Chadian politician and military officer who has been the seventh president of Chad since 2024, having previously served in this role in a transitional capacity from 2022 and was also Chad's de facto head of state and president of the Transitional Military Council from 2021 until his appointment as transitional president. Déby also previously served as the second in-command of the military for the Chadian Intervention in Northern Mali (FATIM). He is the son of Idriss Déby, who served as the sixth president of Chad from 1990 to 2021.

Born in N'Djamena, Déby was sent to military training in France. He first saw combat in 2006. In 2013, Déby went to Mali, where he was appointed second in command of the Chadian special forces in the country under general Oumar Bikimo. Déby led the army in February against rebels in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains in northern Mali leading to the Battle of Ifoghas, where they eliminated a rebel base. After returning to Chad, Déby was appointed the director of the General Directorate of the Security Services of State Institutions (DGSSIE).

In April 2021 shortly after his victory in the presidential election, Déby's father, Idriss Déby, was killed by the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) in the Northern Chad offensive. Mahamat was immediately proclaimed the new leader of Chad and the president of the Transitional Military Council where he promised a transition to a civilian government within the next 18 months. However, in October 2022, Déby extended his rule, dissolving the Transitional Military Council and being sworn in as transitional president. This caused the 2022 Chadian protests that left dozens dead. The government banned several opposition parties in response.

In 2024, after a constitutional referendum, Déby announced his candidacy for the presidential elections held on 6 May, with his biggest challenger being his prime minister, Succès Masra, whom Déby appointed prime minister on 1 January after Masra returned to the country before the referendum. Déby won with 61% of the vote, though the results were disputed by Masra and other opposition leaders. Masra eventually resigned as prime minister and Déby was subsequently sworn in as president on 23 May, officially extending his family's 34 year rule over the country, which began with Déby's father taking power in the 1990 coup.