Turkey condoles with Chad over president's death

ANKARA

Turkey's foreign minister on Tuesday condoled with Chad over the death of President Idriss Deby Itno, who died on the frontlines of Chad's battle against rebels.

"I have learned with deep sorrow that Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno died as a result of the clashes at the frontline," Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

He condemned the attacks against the government, wished Allah's mercy on the deceased, and offered "sincere condolences" to the "friendly and brotherly" people of Chad.

Itno, who won a sixth consecutive term with 79.3% of the vote in the April 11 elections, was visiting troops battling rebels belonging to a group calling itself FACT (the Front for Change and Concord in Chad). He died just a day after his re-election. He was 68.

A landlocked Sahelian country in Central Africa, Chad has been struggling with security challenges associated with conflicts in bordering countries, as well as the impact of climate change for the past decade.