DerDa
The derde (derda, derdai, dardai) is the title held by the highest religious and political authority among the Toubou Teda of the Tibesti region in north-western Chad. He is elected among the three most prominent families of the Tomagra clan. At the death of the derde the title almost never passes to the son of the deceased (and even rarely to his grandson), but to a member of the other two families. Although the title has not corresponded to a true position of political power ever since the colonial era, the derde remains a highly esteemed moral authority and has been described as the main unifying factor binding together the Toubou of Chad, Libya and Niger.
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. Like the derde himself, his spouse is also obliged to originate from the Tomagra clan. Despite this strong link to one specific clan, there is a social expectation that the chief should not favorize either his own family or his own clan.
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