Large demonstrations are taking place in Chad to mark the end of the “transition” ordered by the military council after the death of previous President Idriss Deby in April 2021.
While the inclusive and sovereign national dialogue has granted two more years of transition to the current leader Mahamat Idriss Deby, political parties and civil society associations have called for protests. The government banned the rallies, calling them an “attempt at armed insurrection, according to RFI.
On October 19th, opposition leader Succès Masra urged the international community not to recognize the transitional government as of October 20th. On Thursday, several political parties and civil society organizations called for demonstrations against the transitional government. However, these demonstrations were banned by an order from the Minister of Public Security.
The demonstrations caused several deaths and dozens of injuries at the march organized this morning by the Chadian opposition; among the people who died is the Chadian journalist Oredje Narcisse.
Le journaliste Oredje Narcisse qui était présent lors des manifestations interdites de ce matin , a été atteint https://t.co/PvuSr9FKYc il vient de succomber suite à ses blessures ,Paix à son âme 😭 pic.twitter.com/p9BSQmjEeY
— Raïssa Nouradine Kassiré (@RaissaKassire) October 20, 2022
The headquarters of the president’s party, “The National Union for Democracy and Renewal,” was set on fire. In addition, women got naked as a form of a demonstration against the current power.
Les manifestants viennent d’incendier le siège du parti politique du Premier Ministre de la transition @saleh_kebzabo pic.twitter.com/vTFgl6U1JI
— Raïssa Nouradine Kassiré (@RaissaKassire) October 20, 2022
While the demonstrations were taking place, President Mahamat Deby declared a state of emergency due to the floods, which engulfed 465,000 hectares of fields and 19,000 heads of cattle.