Confusion over rumoured death of Idriss Déby’s son

There is currently confusion in Chad over the rumour that Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno who succeeded his father on Tuesday has been killed.

What started as a social media gossip found its way into the Chadian media.

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BBC cited different reports of the Chadian media about an alleged shooting incident at the presidential palace in N’Djamena, the country’s capital.

The alleged incident was said to have been as a result of a purported dispute within the Déby family over the appointment of Mahamat.

But in a series of tweets, the private Tchadinfos website quoted several unnamed sources as denying the alleged shooting incident.

“The president of the Transitional Military Council is alive and well. There was never any shooting at the palace and no quarrels with [Mahamat’s] brother Zakaria,” Tchadifos said.

However, Toubou Media cited security sources who alleged that Mahamat was injured in a shootout sparked by a “divergence within the family”.

The late Déby had a large family, having married several times, and had an unknown number of children.

Meanwhile, pro-government Alwihda Info website reported that gunfire was heard in Ati, some 378km (234miles) east of N’Djamena, after prisoners tried to escape.

The website added that “calm had been restored” after the deployment of more troops to the region.

BBC said it is monitoring the situation closely.

The army authorities announced the death of Deby on Tuesday, saying he died from injuries sustained during a clash with rebels.