Local and International media have confirmed the death of just re-elected Chadian President, Idriss Deby Itno.
He ruled Chad for three decades. Deby’s exit was very much unexpected and it has come at a worst possible time for Chad and for the CEMAC subregion.
The advancement of the rebel group ‘Front for Change and Concord in Chad’ (FACT) into the capital Ndjamena, has gathered pace, with the rebels making a lot of strides in distabilizing the country via a violent shakeup at the top.
Given the fact that a mass exodus of Chadians in Ndjamena into Cameroon has already been experienced, the death of the president is likely to cause severe panic amongst the city dwellers.
Many are equally very fearful of what the FACT rebels next action will be.
The ripple effects of the death of President Idriss Deby Itno may trickle right down to Cameroon, with a political crisis gradually turning into a civil war likely to drive more Chadian citizens to the borders of Cameroon.
With Cameroon battling with endless threats from the Nigerian terrorists Islamist sect, Boko Haram, adding a refugee crisis caused by power vacuum from another country maybe too much a concern.