In N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, there is unrest and confusion from the early morning of February 27th to 28th. So armed individuals They attacked the headquarters National State Security Agency (ANSE) headquarters to rescue a national previously imprisoned for attempted assassination of Supreme Court President Samir Adam Annour. In a subsequent statement, the government blamed the attack on the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF), an opposition party to current President Idriss Déby and led by Yaya Dillo.
The attack, which the government spokesman described as “characterized by an astonishing lack of professionalism,” appeared to have ended thanks to the rapid intervention of Chadian forces, the government announced this morning. However, the clatter of guns and several booms could also be heard throughout the capital in the following hours. The fighting wasn’t over yet. The current confusion makes it impossible to identify which armed factions are fighting, although everything suggests that the attacks go beyond what an undisciplined and under-resourced PSF command can organize, and that police forces have joined the rebels to attempt an attack on the presidential palace. In today’s broadcast, an anti-government television station even asked to what extent Idriss Déby will remain in power.
It is currently known that there have been a large number of deaths as a result of the clashes, although an exact number is not yet known due to a lack of further information. By the end of the afternoon the situation appears to have calmed down and the aggression is expected to have been neutralized.
The current events occurred a few hours after Déby announced that the presidential election would take place on May 6, while a possible second round would take place on June 22. Déby, who came to power thanks to a self-coup following his father’s death in 2021also called Idriss DebyDuring a battle in the north of the country, he tried to assert his authority within the country and mitigate the criticism his regime had received from abroad by calling new elections. Chad already suffers from serious problems related to instability and insecurity due to jihadism, the CCMSR rebel group and the ongoing war in neighboring Sudan.
Furthermore, this outbreak of violence in the capital occurred while the Prime Minister was in the United States and with the Foreign Minister in Hungary, further weakening the government’s position in the face of the crisis. The next few hours will be crucial to know the result, even if it ends in the afternoon It was made public that Yaya Dillo had been killed in the course of the confrontation with the Chadian armed forces.
Déby’s uncle, General Saley Déby Itno, was also said to have been involved in the PSF attack, and at press time his home was known to be surrounded by soldiers loyal to the presidency. The ongoing negotiations are expected to end with the general’s surrender, ending the umpteenth power attack suffered by an African government in the last five years.
Whether victorious or not, what happened in N’Djamena today proves further evidence of the profound political instability the region is experiencing in response to the rise of authoritarianism, jihadist expansion and the food crisis that the continent is experiencing. Nor could it be ignored France’s relationship with ChadIt is one of the few sub-Saharan countries that still allows the presence of French troops on its territory. Although Déby has sought closer positions with Russia in recent months (This January he met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow) the usual consequence for France in recent coups in Africa is well known: expulsion of its troops, censorship of the Paris-based media and closure of the embassy, with the consequent diplomatic crisis and loss of influence.