Chad’s president Idriss Déby dies from combat wounds, military says

Deby had ruled for 30 years and won a sixth term in elections last week

Chad's president, Idriss Deby, has died from wounds sustained in combat, the country's military has said, sending shockwaves through the region as rebel forces continued to advance on the capital N'Djamena.

The extraordinary announcement of the 68-year-old's battlefield death on Tuesday came days after an election in which he won a sixth term in office, extending his 30-year, increasingly authoritarian rule. Some observers fear there could be extensive fighting in the strategically important central African country before a stable political settlement is reached.