Tensions in Chad as gunfire and tanks are reported in N’Djamena
In the heart of Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, heavy gunfire was heard on Wednesday evening, with reports of unidentified militiamen attacking the presidential palace, sources told RT.
The Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, had arrived in N’Djamena on Wednesday to discuss “the promotion of bilateral cooperation” with Chad’s President, Mahamat Deby.
The French news agency AFP reported that heavy gunfire was heard in the Chadian capital on Wednesday evening.
According to an AFP journalist on the ground, shots were heard near the presidential palace in N’Djamena, with armed men reportedly attacking the interior of the compound, as tanks were spotted on the city’s streets and all roads leading to the presidential office were blocked. Local government authorities initially declined to comment.
The attack on the presidential palace occurred less than two weeks after disputed parliamentary elections in the landlocked country in northern Africa.
The election took place against the backdrop of repeated attacks by the jihadist group Boko Haram in the Chad region, the end of a military accord with former colonial power France, and accusations that Chad is meddling in the conflict in neighboring Sudan.
The former French colony announced in November that it was ending its security pact with Paris, following the example of neighboring countries Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. France had stationed around 1,000 soldiers in the Sahel region, with the first 30 troops departing at the end of December, and the rest set to follow in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday, the Chadian government spokesperson, Aziz Mahamat Saleh, said, “Nothing serious, no panic, the situation is under control.” He initially provided no further details.
Earlier, on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron had reprimanded ambassadors from former colonies, saying that they had forgotten to thank France for its help against terrorists and separatists in the past decade.
“None of them would have a sovereign state if the French army had not been stationed in this region” the French President claimed. “I believe they have forgotten to thank us, but that’s okay, it will come eventually.”
France had stationed troops in its former colonies to support governments in the fight against terrorism, but local governments eventually accused Paris of failing in this task and are now seeking security partnerships with Russia and China, citing the need for a more equal partnership.