The ''derde'' (derda, derdai, dardai) is the title held by the highest religious and political authority among the

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, northeastern Niger, and northwestern Sudan. They live either as her ...

Teda of the resident in

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 ...

, in north-western

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 ...

. He is elected among the three most prominent families of the Tomagra 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'' exercises judicial and 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 12th century the ''derde'' of the Tomaghra of Bornu 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 ( , ; ; ; ) 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 ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise in ...

to the north and to Borno to the south. History of Toubou https://www.iberlibro.com/9780692103999/Teda-Tubu-Tebou-Toubou-Civilisation-0692103996/plp When the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

colonial forces in 1907 made the first raids in northern

, 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, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. 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.

became independent in 1960, and in 1965 the Chadian administration settled itself in Tibesti. The ''derde'',

Oueddei Kichidemi Oueddei Kichidemi (died December 1977) 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'' exercis ...

, 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

*{{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 The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is a reference work that facilitates the Islamic studies, academic study of Islam. It is published by Brill Publishers, Brill and provides information on various aspects of Islam and the Muslim world, Isl ...

'' Positions of authority Titles Society of Chad Toubou people