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11-01-2025
N’DJAMENA, CHAD: Chad’s capital city is still smarting after deadly gun battles erupted on Wednesday night between security forces and more than a dozen armed fighters who brazenly stormed the presidential palace. At least 19 people were killed.
Businesses and schools opened as usual on Thursday, and most people went to work, but there was a more heightened security presence on the streets of N’Djamena, a city already teeming with soldiers. Military tanks dotted the city centre, and roads leading to the palace complex were closed.
The assault comes weeks after controversial parliamentary elections, in which opposition parties boycotted the vote. They accused President Mahamat Idriss Deby’s military-turned-civilian government of trying to legitimize his rule.
The attack also followed Chad’s surprising expulsion of hundreds of French troops in December. France, a former colonial power and a close ally, has operated military bases in the country for decades.
Conflicting reports about who Wednesday’s assailants might be are floating around on social media, adding to the confusion as government officials attempt to make light of the threat. Here’s what we know:
A group of 24 heavily armed men attacked the president’s office at around 8:45pm (19:45 GMT) on Wednesday, government spokesman and Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said, speaking on Chad state TV.
The men were armed with knives, not guns, he said. At least 18 of the attackers were killed in the ensuing gun battle, while one member of the Chadian security force also died. Three other security officials were injured, the minister added, two of them seriously.
Videos of the aftermath of the shooting showed bloodied bodies on the floor, close to a white pickup truck. Koulamallah said the attackers were killed after managing to penetrate the camp surrounding the presidency.
“I was impressed by the military deployment. We have a very good army, and the Chadians can sleep soundly. Our country is well guarded,” he said.
President Deby was in the presidential complex at the time of the attack. Hours before at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deby had met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was in the country for a state visit.
At least six people have been arrested in connection with the attack, although it’s unclear yet who they are. The minister said investigations are ongoing.
The landlocked Central African nation has long experienced instability in the form of rebel movements, armed groups, and coups d’etat. Although Chad is rich in oil, a stagnant economy and harsh climate put it on the list of Africa’s poorest countries.
Those who seize power often work hard to quell rebellions by distributing jobs to former rebels and political opposition members, Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at German think tank Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), told media. “Chad’s budget is spent on patronage to secure government survival,” he said.
Deby, a military general, seized power in April 2021 after rebels killed the strongman president, his father, Idriss Deby Itno on the battlefield. Before his death, the older Deby ruled Chad with an iron fist for 30 years.
Although the military government promised and delivered on elections, the younger Deby’s tenure has been characterized by turbulence. He has struggled to attract popular support in the country, as many believe he seized power unconstitutionally and merely extended the Deby dynasty. Experts describe his government’s December decision to expel French troops as a way to gain support amid widespread anti-France sentiments in former West and Central African colonies. (Int’l News Desk)
