He will face nine other candidates in the poll scheduled for 6 May, including the junta-appointed Prime Minister Succès Masra.

"You know me, I am soldier and I hold my promises," Reuters news agency quoted Mr Déby as saying at his first campaign rally in the capital, N'Djamena.

He pledged to strengthen security and guarantee Chad's peace and stability.

Mr Déby is widely expected to win the election, which some opposition politicians have branded “a farce”.

His main rival, opposition leader Yaya Dillo, was killed in a shootout with security forces on 28 February. The government had blamed him for a deadly attack on the country's security agency, which he denied.

The Constitutional Court also barred 10 other candidates from vying last month, including two vocal junta critics.

Mr Déby initially promised an 18-month transition to democratic rule, after he seized power in 2021, following the death of his father.

But he later postponed the elections until this year, triggering protests that were violently suppressed by security forces.