Chad: 19 dead as the presidential complex is attacked

19 people were left dead following an attack on the presidential complex in the capital of Chad – N’Djamena – on Wednesday 8th.

Reported by France 24 on January 8th, gunfire erupted near the complex and tanks were seen on the street.

At 7.45pm (18:45 GMT), attackers opened fire inside the presidential complex before being overpowered by the presidential guard. The government officially stated that 18 of those killed were part of a 24-man armed commando unit, suspected to be Boko Haram fighters, and one was a member of security personnel.

Chad’s Foreign Minister, Koulamallah appeared on Facebook saying, “the situation is completely under control… the destabilization attempt was put down”. The BBC reported that Koulamallah stated there had been “a little incident” but that “evening is calm”, which the BBC have argued is an attempt to play down the attack.

Chad, a landlocked country in north central Africa, regularly withstands attacks from Boko Haram – a jihadist organization that operates primarily in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

According to France 24, “gunfire erupted less than two weeks after Chad held a contested general election… that was marked by low turnout and opposition allegations of fraud”. Opposition parties called for voters to boycott the election and denounced the previous May as fraudulent.

The attack also follows Chad ending their defence and security agreements with France in November last year, calling them “obsolete”.

Koulamallah said the move would allow Chad “to assert its full sovereignty”, as reported by the BBC.

There have also been recent moves for Chad to strengthen its ties with China, exemplified by the Chinese Foreign Minister’s – Yang Wi – visit to the country hours before fighting broke out.

Chad’s government is clearly trying to present a stable and secure image of the presidency in the face of rising opposition.

France24, BBC