Opposition politician in Chad murdered a few months before the elections. Alleged abuse of a girl in Vienna: 17 suspects

One day after the election date was announced in Chad, central Africa, a leading opposition politician was killed in violence between his supporters and the army, according to government reports. On Thursday, a prosecutor confirmed the death of politician Yaya Dillo to journalists in the capital N’Djamena, French radio station RFI and online portal TchadOne reported. Dillo was killed on Wednesday during the storming of the headquarters of his Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF). According to RFI, there were “dozens of injuries and deaths” and 26 arrests, the prosecutor said. This was preceded by an escalation between Dillo’s supporters and the forces of military ruler Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno.

Déby took power in 2021 after the death of his father, long-time ruler Idriss Déby. In the autumn of 2022, opposition demonstrations were bloodily suppressed. However, Déby appointed the then opposition leader Succès Masra as prime minister in his government at the beginning of this year. Yaya Dillo, who like the Débys belongs to the ruling Zaghawa ethnic group, was considered a bitter rival. According to Dillo, his mother and one of his sons were killed during an attempted arrest by Déby’s forces in February 2021. Dillo planned to run for president against Déby. On Tuesday evening, the electoral commission announced May 6 as the election date.

According to state information, Dillo’s followers attacked the National Security Agency building under his leadership on Wednesday evening. A PSF member had previously been arrested and charged with attempted murder. The government spokesman said on Wednesday that there had already been clashes that resulted in deaths. During the day, government forces attacked the PSF party headquarters with firearms. Images circulated by the media in the evening showed significant damage to the building’s facade. The situation remained calm on Thursday. According to data from the organization Netblocks, internet access in the country has been severely limited since Wednesday.

The country, located between Niger and Sudan, is the last strategic partner in the Sahel region for its former colonial power France, after French troops were forced to leave Niger following a military coup. In addition to approximately 18 million inhabitants, Chad hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from Sudan, especially from the immediately adjacent Darfur region. Members of the Zaghawa, who are largely allied with the Sudanese army against the enemy RSF paramilitaries, also live there. Déby, on the other hand, according to observers, supports the RSF despite its important ethnic ties, which causes anger within the elites. Dillo also objected to this course. (rbu/sda/dpa)