The National Transitional Council (CNT) of Chad promoted General Déby to Marshal on Monday.
Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Déby elevated to Marshal rank
Chad's President General Mahamat Idriss Deby arrives for the 19th Francophonie Summit, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024
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160 members voted to adopt the resolution against 2 while 6 abstained in a council mostly dominated by the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS).
This promotion now ranks Mahamat at the same level as his late father, Idriss Déby Itno, who was the President of Chad.
Chad has tended to award its leaders the rank of a marshal especially when they show immense victory in the fight against insurgency.
His late father Idriss Déby Itno was also awarded the rank of a marshal in 2020 after a victorious offensive he led against the jihadist group Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.
A seasoned field commander, Idriss Déby governed Chad for thirty years before being killed in combat by rebels in 2021.
His son, then a general, assumed power with the backing of a junta that declared him "president of the CNT" and subsequently "president of the transition," effectively making him head of state.
He later amended the Constitution and was legitimized through a contested election in May.