Chad leader Deby, key Western ally, killed in battle -army

FILE PHOTO: Chad's President Idriss Deby attends a working session of the G5 Sahel summit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, June 30, 2020. Ludovic Marin /Pool via REUTERS

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) -Chad's president, Idriss Deby, who ruled his country for more than 30 years and was an important Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in Africa, was killed on Monday in a battle against rebels in the north, authorities said.

His son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president by a transitional council of military officers, army spokesman Azem Bermendoa Agouna said on state television on Tuesday.