Francois Tombalbaye (June 1918 – April 13, 1975) was the first President of Chad. He was a Chadian teacher and trade union activist. After serving as the head of Chad's colonial government and the ruling party, the Chadian Progressive Party, from 1959 to 1960, Tombalbaye was named the nation's leader after the country's independence on August 11, 1960. He governed as a tyrant until 1975 when he was deposed and assassinated by Chadian military members.
Francois Tombalbaye, the former dictator of Chad.)
He has a legitimate claim to being one of Africa's founding fathers. He, like former Central African Republic President Jean-Bedel Bokassa and Uganda's Idi Amin Dada, left behind a poisonous legacy. He was the man who was to construct this new wide Sahel region country as he rose to become Chad's first President after the country gained independence from the French in 1960.
He was the appropriate guy for the position, notwithstanding his decades of involvement in the independence struggle. Once in power, however, the former teacher and trade union leader succumbed to the dictatorial temptation. Tombalbaye became a marked man despite criticism from numerous factions after establishing one of the continent's most dictatorial governments.
With his back against the wall, he had no choice but to implement certain reforms. The first action he took was to free tens of thousands of political detainees. But, with his administration still in disarray, it was a matter of when not if, he would be removed from office. His problems were made worse by Chad's deepening economic desegregation as a result of the region's political unrest.
His eccentric initiatives, such as the infamous "authenticity" program, only exacerbated his problems. Then came his final humiliation. Wit h the stability of the state in jeopardy, Tombalbaye lost out with the military after repeatedly interfering with the army command structure through arbitrary promotions and demotions of top military officers.
As a result, in April 1975, the army opted to side with the protestors. The besieged President was apprehended and executed in cold blood before being buried in an unmarked grave. Tombalbaye's 15-year reign of terror came to an end with that.
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https://www.google.com/url?q=https://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/sub-saharan-africa-region/72-chad-1960-present/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiJieGLyJj2AhXFqaQKHQMGCGwQFnoECAUQAg&usg=AOvVaw2z3CSyaa-AFUqbbu4WfqbL
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%25C3%25A7ois_Tombalbaye&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjg4qPyxpj2AhWJlqQKHe0LAd4QFnoECAoQAg&usg=AOvVaw23d4yIpdc2gn2ZVXaoXBW_
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