An assault on Chad’s National Security Agency headquarters has resulted in multiple casualties, according to government reports.
Government officials declared that “The situation is now completely under control.”
The government disclosed that individuals affiliated with the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF) had been apprehended and will face legal action.
This attack in the capital city of N’Djamena unfolded shortly after Chad announced its forthcoming presidential election scheduled for May 6, 2024.
In a statement released on Wednesday, February 28, the government issued a stern warning, stating, “Anyone looking to disturb the democratic process underway in the country will be prosecuted and brought to justice.”
Communication Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said the attack on the national security agency was led by the leader of the PSF Yaya Dillo.
However, Mr. Dillo has not yet commented on the allegation.
It remains uncertain whether Mr. Dillo was among those detained, but he indicated in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning that the military had come for him.
The government also asserted that the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF) was implicated in a recent “assassination attempt” on the president of the Supreme Court.
Mr. Dillo, a prominent critic of President Mahamat Déby, who assumed office in 2021 following his father’s death at the hands of rebels, denied any involvement in the alleged attack, branding it as “staged.”
President Déby had pledged to restore civilian rule to the country but faced delays of more than two years in fulfilling this commitment.
The election is supposed to mark the end of a political transition.
The Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) officially nominated President Déby as its candidate for the upcoming elections, although he has not yet publicly confirmed his candidacy.
Moreover, opposition voices have criticized the electoral commission, claiming it lacks neutrality, and they express concern over the potential prolongation of the Déby family’s rule.
France, the former colonial power, has supported Mr. Déby since the beginning of the transitional period, a stance that has drawn scrutiny both domestically and internationally.
Currently, France maintains approximately 1,000 troops in Chad to combat jihadist groups across West Africa.
Why are French troops in Africa?
With a wave of coups in former French colonies in Africa, France is finding it can no longer take its military role on the continent for granted.
Protests against France’s military presence in Africa have been on the rise, reflecting growing discontent with its historical interventionist policies.
French troops faced expulsion from Niger and Mali in recent times, while other African nations are contemplating revising or terminating longstanding agreements dating back to the era of independence.
These agreements facilitated over 30 direct French military interventions between 1964 and 1995 across the continent.
Dr Bakary Sambe, director of the Timbuktu Institute, emphasized that since independence, France wanted to “perpetuate and safeguard the stability and durability of certain regimes.”
He added that the former colonial power regarded West Africa and the Sahel as a “space of natural deployment and influence.”.
Prof Tony Chafer, of the University of Portsmouth in the UK, also argued that Africa gives France clout on the world stage that it would not otherwise possess as a “mid-sized power.”
“In an increasingly multipolar and competitive global environment, France has a primary geopolitical interest in maintaining its military presence in the region,” he says.
He asserted that being militarily engaged in Africa “plays a key role in justifying France’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council – France is an ‘essential actor’ when security issues in West and Central Africa are discussed at the UN or the international community”.
France has diligently maintained its economic and diplomatic connections with Africa as well.
This is particularly evident through its continued association with the CFA franc currencies, which are linked to the French treasury, and by fostering strong relationships with governing elites.
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