Chad’s public prosecutor reported that an overnight attack on the presidential compound was carried out by 24 armed people, whom they described as “ill-intentioned individuals.” The attack was stopped by security forces, though many details remain unclear.
The incident happened like this: according to the prosecutor, the attackers drove up to the presidential palace, pretended their vehicle had broken down, and then attacked the security guards at the gate. This resulted in “killing two and lightly wounded five others.” The security forces responded by killing 18 of the attackers and wounding six others.
The government spokesperson, Abderaman Koulamallah, offered a different description, saying in a television interview that the attackers “seemed intoxicated and disorganised” and only had “knives and machetes.” He also stated it was “probably not” a terrorist attack.
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This attack comes at a sensitive time for Chad, which recently ended its defence agreement with France, a long-time ally in fighting Islamic militants in the region. Other nearby countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have also moved away from Western support in favour of Russian military help.
The situation in Chad is particularly concerning because the current president, Mahamat Idriss Deby, took power after his father, who had ruled since the early 1990s, was killed by rebels. Despite being rich in oil, Chad remains one of Africa’s poorest countries.
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