Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, widely known by his nickname "Mahamat Kaka," is a Chadian military officer and politician who serves as the President of Chad. He assumed the presidency in 2021 following the unexpected death of his father, the long-serving President Idriss Déby Itno, and later consolidated his position through a controversial transitional period and victory in the 2024 presidential election. Born on April 4, 1984, in N’Djamena, Mahamat Idriss Déby is the son of Idriss Déby Itno, who ruled Chad for over three decades, and a mother of Gourane descent. He spent much of his childhood under the care of his paternal grandmother, which earned him the moniker "Kaka," the Chadian Arabic word for "grandmother." He received his primary and secondary education in Chad before pursuing a military career, which was one of the few established professional pathways available to the nation’s youth at the time. Déby’s military trajectory was characterized by rapid advancement and proximity to the country's elite security apparatus. He attended the Joint Grouping of Military Schools (GEMIA) in Chad and later underwent training at a French military school in Aix-en-Provence, France. Upon his return to Chad, he was appointed to the Directorate General of the Security Services of State Institutions (DGSSIE), the elite force responsible for the protection of state institutions and the presidential guard. He saw his first significant combat experience in 2006 during rebel attacks on the capital. His military reputation grew following his involvement in the 2009 Battle of Am Dam, where government forces defeated a rebel coalition, and his 2013 deployment to Mali as the second-in-command of the Chadian special forces, where he participated in operations against insurgents in the Ifoghas and Tigharghar mountains. In April 2021, following the death of his father on the front lines during clashes with the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) rebels, Mahamat Idriss Déby was named the head of the Transitional Military Council (CMT). While the Chadian constitution dictated that the President of the National Assembly should assume the presidency, the military bypassed this provision, installing the younger Déby as the country’s de facto head of state. This move was widely characterized by international observers and internal opposition groups as an unconstitutional power grab. The transitional government initially promised an 18-month period of rule culminating in democratic elections. However, this timeline was extended following an "Inclusive and Sovereign National Dialogue" (DNIS) in 2022, a process which permitted Déby to stand as a candidate in subsequent elections. In the presidential election held on May 6, 2024, Déby was declared the winner with approximately 61 percent of the vote. International rights groups and opposition leaders frequently criticized the process, citing concerns over the lack of free and fair conditions, the exclusion of key political figures, and the violent suppression of dissent. Throughout his tenure, Déby has faced significant challenges, including internal unrest, economic difficulties, and allegations of corruption. Reports have emerged regarding investigations by French authorities into his personal financial expenditures in Paris, while his administration has faced ongoing scrutiny from civil society for its human rights record and the centralized nature of its political control. Despite these controversies, he remains the central figure in Chadian governance, presiding over a nation grappling with regional instability in the Sahel and persistent domestic political divisions.