Thousands of people paid their last respect at the funeral in N’Djamena of the late president of Chad, Idriss Déby, on Friday.

He died on Monday from wounds sustained while leading his troops against a rebel offensive.

His death came a day after election officials said he had won a sixth term in office. His son, General Mahamat Idriss Déby, 37, will act as interim president and commander of the armed forces for the next 18 months when “fair, free and democratic” elections will take place.

When the news of his death broke Cameroon’s Paul Biya said Déby served “tirelessly”, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Felix Tshisikedi called it a “a great loss for Chad and for all of Africa”, Mali’s President Bah N’Daw lamented his “brutal” death and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa called it “disturbing”.

Several African leaders – including those from Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Nigeria – attended the funeral, ignoring warnings from the rebels that they should not attend for security reasons.

Aljazeera reported that French president Emmanuel Macron, who was at the funeral, pledged support for the country’s “stability and integrity”, but also urged his military successors to steer a smooth return to civilian rule.

“The people of the region enjoy a peace pact with France. We have to make sure the pact lives on – and that of liberty and independence,” Macron said, adding that France was “on your side”.

Addressing his words to the casket, Macron said: “You lived as a soldier, you died as a soldier with weapons in hand. You gave your life for Chad in defence of its citizens.”

He described Déby as a “brave friend”.

The BBC reported that Mahamat Déby, vowed to “stay loyal to the memory” of his father and pledged to continue the legacy of “dialogue, forgiveness, peace, unity” that the late president was “admired for”.

After the military honours and speeches, prayers were said at the Grand Mosque of N’Djamena.

Déby’s remains will be flown to Amdjarass, a small village next to his hometown of Berdoba, more than 1,000km from the capital, near the Sudanese border, where he will be buried.