19 fatalities
Drunk men storm presidential palace in Chad
A disorganized group of drunken men have attacked the presidential palace in Chad. Security forces were able to overpower the attackers - 19 people were killed in the bloody incident.
Security circles had initially reported that the attackers were members of the jihadist militia Boko Haram. Chadian Foreign Minister and government spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah has now clarified that the attack was the work of a drunken group.
The group was quickly overpowered by the presidential guard, Koulamallah continued. "The situation is completely under control." Koulamallah said it was "probably not terrorists". It was therefore an attack without a "serious" motive.
Alcoholized "Pieds Nickeles"
He described the attackers as alcoholized "Pieds Nickeles" - an allusion to a French comic strip featuring hapless crooks. Koulamallah explained that there had been a total of 24 attackers. 18 of them had been killed and the remaining six injured. On the government side, there was one dead and three injured.
According to him, four security guards were initially attacked before the men entered the presidential complex. There they were "easily" overpowered. The surviving attackers were "completely stunned" - apparently under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
While there was initially talk of a heavily armed commando, Koulamallah explained that the attackers had "no weapons of war" with them. They were equipped with machetes and knives, among other things. Ultimately, it was a "completely desperate", "quite incomprehensible" attack without a "serious" motive, the government spokesman emphasized. He assured that there was currently no threat to the country and its security.
Attack after visit by Chinese foreign minister
Journalists from the AFP news agency had previously heard gunshots near the presidential palace in the capital N'Djamena. All access roads to the president's official residence were blocked and tanks could be seen on the streets. The attack occurred a few hours after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the capital. He had been received by Head of State Mahamad Idriss Déby Itno, among others. According to government spokesman Koulamallah, the latter was in the presidential palace at the time of the attack.
Controversial elections
A new parliament was elected in Chad at the end of December. The opposition had raised accusations of manipulation beforehand and called for a boycott of the election. The government of the central African state in the Sahel region, on the other hand, presented the election as an important step towards ending three years of military rule. However, voter turnout was low.
Déby was confirmed as president in May in an election that was criticized by the opposition. In April 2021, he was appointed interim president by the army at the head of a military government after his father Idriss Déby Itno was killed by rebels. He had ruled Chad, which had been independent since 1960, with a heavy hand for 30 years.
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