World News for Students of English

26-04-2021 15:00

Chad’s president, Idriss Déby, died while visiting troops on the frontline of a battle against rebels, an army spokesman said.

Déby died at the age of 68, after spending more than three decades in power, which made him one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. He came to power in 1990 through an armed uprising, and he was a long-time ally of Western powers in the battle against jihadist groups in the Sahel region of Africa.

The government and parliament have been dissolved, the borders have been shut, and a curfew has been imposed. A military council led by Déby’s son, a 37-year-old general, Mahamat Idriss Déby, will govern the country for the next 18 months. However, he said that once the transition period was over, free and democratic elections will be held.

Difficult words: uprising (when a group of people start fighting against the people who are in power in their country), ally (a state that cooperates with another state for a military or other purpose), jihadist (an Islamic militant who is very active in trying to bring about political changes), dissolve (to end something).

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