State Burial of President Deby : Ceremony of Overflowing Emotions

The massive presence of Presidents, Heads of governments and other representatives from African countries and beyond as well as heads and representatives of international organizations at the official burial ceremony of slain Chadian leader, Field Marshal Idriss Deby Itno was telling enough of the man he was for his country and for Africa as a whole.  Nothing less could have been expected from such a ceremony that vividly translated the brutal end of a man who despite all national political bickering was already being qualified by many as a Pan Africanist.  The indelible mark Deby has so far left in the whole gamut of the fight against growing regional and international terrorism leaves very few indifferent.  All that it takes to pay homage to a States man was put in place Friday 23 April, 2021 in N’Djamena, the Chadian capital temporarily transformed into a virtual capital of Africa.
The ceremony took place in several stages:  honouring of the casket by family and personalities during which President Biya’s representative, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in Charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo deposited a reef from President Paul Biya a stream of tributes and eulogies from mourners, prayer session at the N’Djamena main Mosque and transfer of the corps to his Amdjarass village located in the northern part of the country for burial.  All these took place in the presence of his son, Lt.General  Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno who has been named as successor to his father and who will for the next 18 months chair the Transitional Military Council before handing over power to the civilian. The casket decorated with the Chadian vertical tricolor flag of Blue, Red and Yellow gradually pulled into the ceremonial ground was accompanied by military honours and greeted with a 21 gun salute. 

Promises of Committed Cooperation

It was occasion for friends to express their sympathy and situate the new diplomatic dispensation. Among the most touching of the over ten tributes was that of Hinda Deby Itno, one of the wives of President Deby who succeeded in provoking tears down the chicks of many. Other Statesmen saluted the political actions of the departed man and committed themselves to ensure that his vision about Africa gets to full maturity.  To the French President, Emmanuel Macron, President Deby in 30 years of his rule played an important part in the defence of the territorial integrity of his country, preservation of stability and peace, fight for freedom, security and justice. “You were among the first to respond to the call from countries of the region to defend Africa against armed terrorists in 2016”, Macron said. France, according to him, w...