Chad foils armed attack on presidential complex, 19 killed

Security forces in Chad have thwarted an armed assault on the presidential complex in N’Djamena, leaving 19 people dead, including one member of the security forces, the government confirmed.

On Wednesday evening, 24 attackers launched an attempt to storm the presidential office, but security personnel repelled the assault, resulting in the deaths of 18 attackers. Six others were injured, while three security personnel were also wounded, one critically.

“There were 18 dead and six injured” among the attackers, “and we suffered one death and three injured, one of them seriously,” said Chad’s Foreign Minister and government spokesman, Abderaman Koulamallah.

Koulamallah appeared in a video shortly after the gunfire ceased, flanked by soldiers and visibly armed, to reassure the public. “The situation is completely under control … the destabilisation attempt was put down,” he declared.

The assault coincided with an official visit from China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who had earlier met with President Mahamat Idriss Deby and other senior officials. Koulamallah confirmed that President Deby was present in the presidential complex during the attack.

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President Deby assumed power in 2021 after the death of his father, long-time leader Idriss Deby, who was killed by rebels. The younger Deby’s rule has faced political and security challenges, including recent allegations of electoral fraud following contested general elections held two weeks ago.

Initial speculation pointed to members of the Boko Haram group, but Koulamallah dismissed this theory, describing the attackers as likely not rebels but “drunken ‘Pieds Nickelés’” — a reference to bumbling crooks from a French comic.

A security source, speaking anonymously to Reuters, described the assault as a “likely terrorist attack,” adding, “Individuals in three vehicles attacked the military camps around the president’s office, but the army neutralised them.”

Residents near the presidential complex reported hearing heavy gunfire during the attack.

This incident highlights ongoing instability in Chad, one of Africa’s poorest nations despite its oil wealth. The attack comes just weeks after a controversial election marked by low voter turnout and opposition allegations of rigging.

Chad also recently terminated its defence agreements with France, ending its role as a host for approximately 1,000 French military personnel. The withdrawal of French forces follows similar moves in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where military governments have taken a hostile stance toward Paris.

As Chad grapples with internal unrest and regional insecurity, the swift neutralisation of this attack underscores the country’s precarious political and security landscape.

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