Late Chad President Idriss
Late Chad President Idriss

President Salva Kiir has declared three days of mourning following the death of Chadian President Idriss Déby.

According to a statement by president released this afternoon, South Sudan’s flag shall fly at half-mast during this period.

“President Déby played key role in restoration of peace in our country,” President Kiir’s statement reads in part.

Gen. Mahamat Idriss Deby, 37, has been named interim president by a transitional council of military officers. He faces fighters of the Libyan-based Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) who killed his father.

Déby, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, reportedly died in the frontline fighting rebels on Tuesday.

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