The 24-month extension of the transition by the National Sovereign and Inclusive Dialogue (DNIS) in Chad is not to the liking of several political parties and civil society organizations.
Demonstrators took to the streets of Ndjamena on Thursday called by several political parties and civil society organizations.
According to local sources, the demonstrators, who torched tyres in some places, were demanding the departure of General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who was sworn in as president of the transitional government on Monday, October 10, for an additional two-year period, following the inclusive and sovereign National Dialogue (DNIS).
The young general took power in April 2021 after the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, in a counter-offensive by rebels of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), in the north of the country.
Deby junior had promised an 18-month transition, renewable once, before changing his mind.
For political parties such as ‘Les Transformateurs de Succes Masra’ and ‘La coalition des Actions Citoyennes Wakit Tama,’ there is no question of him staying one more hour at the head of the transition.
The Mobile Intervention Group stepped in and used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
The headquarters of the National Union for Development and Renewal (UNDR), the political party of former opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo, who was appointed prime minister by Mahamat Idriss Deby, was ransacked by protesters.
Local media also reported the use of firearms by security forces and deaths among demonstrators, although this has not been confirmed by state authorities.
In a statement, the Quai d’Orsay condemned the “use of lethal weapons against demonstrators following the “violence that occurred this morning in Chad.”
The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs also stated that “France has no role in these events, which are strictly a matter of internal Chadian politics.”
AC/fss/as/APA