Chad’s president killed on battlefield, says military

Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno, who ruled the central African nation for more than three decades, died of wounds suffered on the battlefield during a fight against rebels, the military has announced.

The announcement on national television and radio came just hours after electoral officials had declared Mr Deby, 68, the winner of the April 11 presidential election, paving the way for him to stay in power for six more years.