The ''derde'' (derda, derdai, dardai) of

Toubou The Toubou or Tubu (from Old Tebu, meaning "rock people") are an ethnic group native to the Tibesti Mountains that inhabit the central Sahara in northern Chad, southern Libya and northeastern Niger. They live either as herders and nomads or as ...

residence at Zouar

Tibesti The Tibesti Mountains are a mountain range in the central Sahara, primarily located in the extreme north of Chad, with a small portion located in southern Libya. The highest peak in the range, Emi Koussi, lies to the south at a height of and ...

is the title held by the highest religious and political authority for all

Fron south Libya, north Chad, and northeast of Niger. He is elected among the three most prominent families of the Tomagra or Tomaghra clan, and at the death of the ''derde'' the title never passes to the son of the deceased, but to a member of the other two families. The ''derde'' before 1930 Derde chef of State, Tubuland, sind 1930 lose power now only exercises judicial rather than executive power, arbitrating conflict and levying sanctions based on a code of compensations. He is assisted in the exercise of his role by a council of nobles. It appears that already in the 17th century the ''derde'' of the Tomagra founder kanem borno empire. had already established its preeminence over much of the Tibesti, through the lines of succession still valid today. The Teda of the Tibesti in the 17th and 18th centuries distinguished themselves for their raids from the

Fezzan Fezzan ( , ; ber, ⴼⵣⵣⴰⵏ, Fezzan; ar, فزان, Fizzān; la, Phazania) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ...

to the north and to Borno to the south. When the French colonial forces in 1907 made the first raids in northern Chad, the ''derde'' asked for the help of the Ottomans, who responded by establishing a few garrisons in Tibesti; but they were evacuated when the Ottomans were forced to cede

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The first French troops arrived later in 1914, but a moderate degree of control was exercised only from the 1930s. The ''derde'' collaborated with the French, retaining or even increasing this way their political and religious authority. Chad became independent in 1960, and in 1965 the Chadian administration settled itself in Tibesti. The ''derde'',

Oueddei Kichidemi Oueddei Kichidemi was the father of the former Chadian President Goukouni Oueddei and was the tribal leader, or ''derde'', of the Toubou Teda of the Tibesti during the First Chadian Civil War. Derde The ''derde'' exercises judicial rather than e ...

, saw himself stripped of his powers by the new government, provoking him in going in exile in 1966, an event considered the signal of the start of the Chadian Civil War in the north. The ''derde'' became now for the first time a national symbol through his opposition to the government, a role that after 1975, when the ''derde'' returned in Chad, was never to be recovered again.

References

* https://www.amazon.com/Teda-Tubu-Tebou-Toubou-Civilisation/dp/0692103996 *{{cite web , title=A Country Study: Chad, work=Library of Congress Country Studies, year=1990, url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/tdtoc.html * J. Brachet & J. Scheele (2015). "Fleeting Glory in a Wasteland: Wealth, Politics, and Autonomy in Northern Chad". Comparative Studies in Society and History, 57(3), 723-752. doi:10.1017/S0010417515000262 *A. Zaborski, "Tubu" in '' Encyclopaedia of Islam'' Positions of authority Titles Society of Chad Toubou people