One person was killed and 18 attackers were eliminated in an attack on the presidential palace in Chad, local media reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, Al Arabiya TV channel quoted sources as saying that militants of the Boko Haram terrorist group carried out the attack near the presidential palace in the Chadian capital N’Djamena.
Government spokesman and Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah told the agency:
“Of the 24 special forces fighters who launched the attack, 18 were killed and six wounded, while we lost one man and three wounded.”
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby was at the presidential palace at the time. Later, Chad’s Infrastructure Minister Aziz Mahamat Saleh said the situation in the country was under control. A security source in the country told the media:
“Chadian security forces are in full control of the presidential palace area.”
Boko Haram is a Nigerian group founded in 2002 with the aim of establishing an Islamic state in Nigeria, linked to al-Qaeda. In its early years it carried out attacks mainly in Nigeria, but attacks have since spread to Cameroon, Niger, Chad. The group has claimed responsibility for major terrorist attacks in the region, including attacks on schools and rescue workers.
Political crisis in Chad
Chad has experienced an unstable political situation in recent years. Since 2021, the country has been in a transitional period, which began with the coming to power Mahamat Idriss Déby, the son of President Idriss Déby who was killed in battle with rebels. Chad held presidential elections last May, which Mahamat Idriss Déby won with 61 per cent of the vote. The leader of the opposition Transformers party, Succes Masra, came second with 18.54 per cent.
On December 29, the country held its first parliamentary elections in 13 years, as well as local elections. They were expected to be a step towards ending the transition period. The opposition called for a boycott of the vote due to possible falsification of results. Preliminary results will be published by January 15.
