At least 50 dead in protests against Chad’s transitional government ‘Gone in 44 Days’ – as British tabloids tear Liz Truss apart

At least 50 people have been killed and 300 injured in protests against the transitional government in Central African Chad. Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo announced this at a press conference on Thursday evening. Thousands of people took to the streets in the capital N’Djamena and three smaller towns. According to Kebzabo, it was an armed uprising that security forces should have put down. He imposed a curfew between midnight and 6 a.m. local time.

On October 10, President-General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno extended a transition period for the formation of a new government by 24 months. The decision sparked resentment among the opposition and civil society. The government had previously banned the protests.

The African Union condemned the violence. At its last meeting in late September, the AU Peace and Security Council warned the military government not to extend the 18-month transition phase actually agreed. In addition, the AU demanded that Idriss Déby Itno and all other members of the military council not run for election in future elections.

The French foreign ministry spoke in a statement about the “use of deadly weapons against protesters”, without giving any further information. France also denied any involvement in what happened in Chad. There have been repeated allegations, particularly on social media, that the interim president, who was sworn in more than a week and a half ago, is backed by France.

Oil-rich but penniless Chad, with a population of just under 17 million, has been in a political transition phase since the death of long-term ruler Idriss Déby Itno, father of the recently sworn in president. According to official information, Idriss Déby Itno was killed in April 2021 in serious clashes with the FACT rebel movement in the north of the country. (aeg/sda/dpa)