According to BBC News reporting on 21 April 2021, Chad's President Idriss Dĩby died of injuries following clashes with rebels in the north of the country. The announcement of his death came a day after provisional election results projected he would win a sixth term in office. A military council led by Dĩby's son, General Mahamat Idriss Dĩby Into, will govern the country for the next 18 months. According to Al-Jazeera reporting on 26 April 2021, Chad"s new military rulers named Albert Pahimi Padacke, who was runner-up in the country"s 11 April presidential election, as prime minister of the transitional government. This appointment has however been dismissed by opposition leaders who have called the military takeover a "coup" and have said that the army had no right to select a prime minister. World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: "President Dĩby, who was one of Africa's longest-serving leaders, was fatally wounded in a battle with rebel fighters in the northern Kanem region. The rebels, known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), swept down from the north on election day demanding an end to Mr Dĩby's 30-year rule. The newly appointed prime minister is not new to the role having served in this post from 2016 to 2018. He has been given the task to propose a transitional government to the military junta, which is already coming under international pressure (for instance from France and the African Union) to give back power as soon as possible." Yonas Dembele continues: "It has been reported that Albert Padacke has a Christian background and is from the Mayo-Kebbi Ouest region in the south of Chad. It remains to be seen whether the protection of religious freedom under the transitional government will improve for Christians or whether they will continue to be marginalized, especially in the public sphere. One thing is clear: President Dĩby had been a key player in regional security and the new leadership has a hard act to follow. With militant groups proliferating in the Sahel, any sign of weakness or instability can give them the chance to expand their operations, which would ultimately increase the threat of attacks on Christian communities in the country."