Félix Malloum Ngakoutou Bey-Ndi ( '; 10 September 1932 – 12 June 2009), better known as Félix Malloum, was a

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

ian military officer and politician who served as the second President of Chad from 1975 to 1978. A native of southern Chad, Malloum became a high-ranking officer in the Chadian military under the country's first president,

François Tombalbaye François Tombalbaye ( '; 15 June 1918 – 13 April 1975), also known as N'Garta Tombalbaye, was a Chadian politician who served as the first President of Chad from the country's independence in 1960 until his overthrow in 1975. A dictator ...

. In the context of the first Chadian Civil War, he was arrested and imprisoned by Tombalbaye in 1972 after being suspected of plotting a coup. Following Tombalbaye's overthrow and assassination during the

1975 Chadian coup d'état The 1975 Chadian coup d'état was in considerable part generated by the growing distrust of the List of heads of state of Chad, president of Chad, François Tombalbaye, for the Chadian Armed Forces, army. This distrust came in part from the Chad ...

, he became the country's new president, inheriting the civil war against northern rebels. In 1978, he integrated the

forces In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and directi ...

of rebel leader

Hissène Habré Hissène Habré (Arabic: ''Ḥusaīn Ḥabrī'', Chadian Arabic: ; ; 13 August 1942 – 24 August 2021), also spelled Hissen Habré, was a Chadian politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 5th president of Chad from 1982 unt ...

, who was appointed prime minister, into his military to fight against rival rebel leader

Goukouni Oueddei Goukouni Oueddei ( '; born 1944) is a Chadian politician who served as President of Chad from 1979 to 1982. A northerner, Goukouni commanded FROLINAT rebels with Libyan support during the first Chadian Civil War against Chad's southern-domin ...

. Their alliance was short-lived, and Habré soon turned against Malloum in 1979. Under the terms of the Kano Accord, Malloum resigned, while a new

transitional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

was created using a power-sharing agreement between Habré and Goukouni. After spending 23 years in exile in Nigeria, he returned to Chad in 2002 and died in a hospital in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

seven years later.

Biography

He attended the French military academy and saw action in Indochina and Algeria. He later served as an officer in the Chadian Military and a member of the ruling

Chadian Progressive Party The Chadian Progressive Party (, PPT), known as the National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution (, MNRCS) for the last two years of its existence, was the first African political party in Chad. It was a regional branch of the African ...

(PPT). In 1966 he married Khalié Brahim Djadarab, having a son with her. In 1971, he became the Chief of General Staff with the rank of colonel and named Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces in 1972. In July 1973, he was arrested and imprisoned by President

on charges of conspiring against the government but was released after a successful coup-d'etat on 13 April 1975. He served as both President and Prime Minister of

until 29 August 1978, when

was appointed

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

to integrate armed northern rebels into the government. However, he was unsuccessful and resigned from the presidency on 23 March 1979, after signing the Kano Peace Agreement which allowed the rebels to form a provisional government. He was related to the politician Kalthouma Nguembang, who was tortured by Tombalbaye's regime. Malloum retired from politics and settled in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. He returned to the Chadian

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

N'Djamena N'Djamena ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Chad, largest city of Chad. It is also a Provinces of Chad, special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements'', similar to the city of Paris. Originally calle ...

on 31 May 2002, after 23 years in

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

. Upon his return he was entitled to the various benefits allowed to former presidents; these benefits included a monthly stipend of 3,000,000 CFA francs, a residence, and coverage of his health expenses, along with two vehicles and a driver. Malloum died from

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

aged 76 on 12 June 2009 at the American Hospital in Paris, France.

References

External links

Country Study, Chad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malloum, Felix Heads of state of Chad 20th-century Chadian politicians Chadian prisoners and detainees Chadian Progressive Party politicians 1932 births 2009 deaths Chadian exiles People of the Chadian–Libyan War François Tombalbaye Prisoners and detainees of Chad People from Moyen-Chari Region Chadian expatriates in Nigeria