N'Djamena, Chad Chad's capital is still smart deadly gun battles took place on Wednesday night between security forces and more than a dozen terrorists who barged into the President's residence. At least 19 people were killed.
Businesses and schools were open as usual on Thursday, and many people went to work, but there was increased security on the streets of N'Djamena – a city already occupied by the military. There were many tanks in the center of the city, and the roads leading to the palace were closed.
The plot comes weeks after the clashes parliamentary electionswhile the opposition parties boycotted the vote. They blamed the president Mahamat Idriss Deby, who replaced the military, the military government in order to ensure the legitimacy of his rule.
The attack also followed Chad's surprise to be expelled of hundreds of French soldiers in December. France, a former colonial power and close ally, has been involved in military operations in the country for decades.
Conflicting reports about the identity of Wednesday's attackers may have been floating around the media, adding to the confusion as authorities try to cover up the threat. Here's what we know:
What happened?
A group of 24 heavily armed men attacked the president's office at around 8:45pm (19:45 GMT) on Wednesday, government spokesman and foreign minister Abderaman Koulamallah said, speaking on Chadian state television.
These people had knives, not guns. At least 18 of the militants were killed in the firefight, while one of the Chadian security forces was also killed. Three other security officers were injured, the minister added, two of them seriously.
Video footage showing the aftermath of the shooting showed bloody bodies on the ground, next to a white pickup truck. Koulamallah said the terrorists were killed after they managed to enter the camp surrounding the President.
“I was impressed by the way the soldiers were deployed. We have a very good army, and the people of Chad sleep soundly. Our country is well protected,” he said.
President Deby was in the presidential palace at the time of the attack. A few hours before his arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Deby met with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Yi, who was in the country on a government visit.
At least six people have been arrested in connection with the attack, although it is not known who they are. The minister said the investigation is ongoing.
Why is the world in trouble?
The landlocked Central African nation has long been plagued by instability, armed groups, and insurgents. Although Chad is rich in oil, poor economic performance and bad weather put it on the list of the poorest countries in Africa.
Those who seize power often work hard to eradicate terrorism by assigning jobs to ex-terrorists and members of the political opposition, Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the German think tank Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), told Al Jazeera. “Chad's budget is used to support the government's security,” he said.
Deby, the army chief, seized power in April 2021 after rebels killed the powerful president – his father, Idriss Deby Itno – in a battlefield. Before his death, the elder Deby ruled Chad with an iron fist for 30 years.
Although the military government promised and delivered on elections, the young Deby's tenure was marked by turmoil. He struggled to gain popular support in the country, as many believed that he had seized power illegally and only extended the Deby dynasty. Experts describe his government's decision in December to expel the French military as a way to win central support common against France in the former West and Central African countries.
Deby's government is also accused of breaking the law: When youth and opposition parties took to the streets in October 2022 to protest the delay in the promised elections, the security forces repressed them, killing 128 people and arresting many others.
In May 2024, Deby swept the presidential vote, winning more than 60 percent of the vote to the anger of opposition groups who described the project as fraudulent.
In December, the country held controversial parliamentary elections for the first time since 2015. Although officials hailed the vote as an important step in ending military rule, it was marked by low turnout and opposition. fraudulent. Several parties boycotted the vote.
Who attacked and what do the authorities say?
There are several conflicting theories about who may have been responsible for Wednesday's attack. Some say Boko Haram, while others say it may be a coup.
Boko Haram fighters have been infiltrating the country since 2013, operating from their base in the Lake Chad Basin, which Chad shares with Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon.
Although the group was founded in Nigeria, the central border allowed it to expand its operations. In 2015, Boko Haram militants attacked police houses and markets in N'Djamena in succession. More than 50 people were killed, and more than 100 were injured.
Security sources told AFP and Reuters that Wednesday's attack may have been carried out by the group.
“It wouldn't be difficult for Boko Haram to try to do this, even if there is a security breach in the palace,” Beverly Ochieng, a Senegalese security researcher at Control Risks, an intelligence firm, told Al Jazeera.
“They may want to take back Operation Haskanite,” he added, referring to President Deby's security measures launched in October. Its purpose is to find and eliminate hundreds of Boko Haram terrorists who attacked and killed more than 40 Chadian soldiers in the Lake Chad Basin area on October 28.
However, government officials have dismissed Boko Haram's doctrine. In an interview with a Chadian government reporter a few hours after the attack, spokesman Koulamallah said the terrorists were “probably not” members of Boko Haram or another militant group. He described them instead as drunken “Pieds Nickeles” – a reference to a French joke involving harmless criminals.
But two random criminals would struggle to attack the seat of power in N'Djamena. The city, every day, is moving with soldiers wearing camouflage, carrying guns hanging from military vehicles.
Could it be other armies?
Many other armed groups are threatening the stability of Chad, especially the Front for Change and Concord rebels in Chad. (TRUE)which is near the Libyan border.
The group, led by ex-terrorist Mahamat Mahadi Ali, wants to topple the Chadian government headed by Deby.
Former President Deby succumbed to the wounds suffered in the war against the rebels as they pushed for N'Djamena in 2021.
At that time, FACT vowed to beat young Deby again after taking power. “Chad is not a kingdom,” the group said in an online post. “There can be no division of power in our country,” the statement added, FACT threatening to remove the new leader.
On the other hand, Ochieng said, reports about the coup may be credible.
Wednesday's attack could be an “inside job” with the aim of “killing President Deby” and seizing power, he added.
Revolts are not new in Chad. The late Deby seized power by ousting the dictator Hissene Habre.
In 2008, thousands of rebels from the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) rebel group led by leader Mahamat Nouri attacked N'Djamena to oust Deby but were repulsed.
Did the withdrawal of the French army cause a gas leak?
Experts say that Chad is likely to face more such protests. The armed forces may try to take advantage of security opportunities that may open up as French troops continue to withdraw from the country.
Although Chad signed an agreement with Hungary in October and is expected to receive 200 Hungarian soldiers who will support and train the local army, it is not known when the Hungarians will arrive.
Chad is in a “fragile” position, Laessing said. “Deby asking the French to leave in December was a gamble. It boosted his popularity,” he said.
Ancient France they held the last French military positions in the Sahel, but at the end of November, he canceled the security and defense agreements with Paris, calling them “unsustainable”. About 1,000 French troops are stationed in the country and are about to be withdrawn after France clashes with three other Sahelian countries ruled by military governments hostile to Paris: Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Ochieng said that the fact that Chad is downplaying the Boko Haram attack may mean that some officials may want to blame a foreign actor for interfering with their activities.
“I suspect that there will be opportunistic groups that will try to make it look like France is destroying Chad,” he said. “We have seen similar claims in Niger, Burkina Faso, immediately after the terrorist attacks and the demand for the withdrawal of French troops.”