Gunmen attempted to storm Chad’s political advanced in the investment ,N’Djamena, on Wednesday night, leading to a brutal fight that left 19 people dead, including 18 intruders and one part of the national guard, according to the authorities.
The attackers, identified as a 24-member commando unit, launched the assault at around 7: 45 pm ( 1845 GMT ), opening fire inside the presidency before being subdued by the presidential guard. Government official and foreign secretary Abderaman Koulamallah said,” There were 18 dead and six wounded” among the intruders, while the safety causes” suffered one dying and three wounded, one of them really”.
Witnesses reported hearing soot of gunfire near the challenging, with military officers and tanks stationed in the streets. The routes leading to the president were obliterated, and people fleed the place in a fit of panic. The attackers apparently breached the intricate after overpowering four soldiers but were “easily overpowered” when outside, according to Koulamallah.
Eventually, the government made it clear that the attackers were likely no terrorists and instead described them as drug-intoxicated drunks. They were” entirely drugged,” according to Khalidallah, who likened them to unsuspecting fraudsters from a French comic series.
First suspected to get linked to the Boko Haram jihadist group, Koulamallah dismissed the relationship, stating the attackers were “probably no” associated with terrorism. Chad has faced numerous Boko Haram problems in its eastern Lake Chad region, which edges Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger.
President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who was inside the advanced during the invasion, remained uninjured, Koulamallah confirmed. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a meeting with Deby and other officers at the national advanced before the abuse.
Following Chad’s contested general election, which was held less than two weeks earlier, the affair heightened conflicts. Opposition groups accuse government of common scams and voter suppression, but the state promoted the election as a step toward ending military rule.
Chad, under military law since Deby’s arrival in 2021 following his father’s suicide, has sought to consolidate power while navigating political transitions, including ending a military authority with France in November. Around 1, 000 European military personnel stationed in Chad are already withdrawing.
