Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, remained calm on Thursday, 9th January, following an armed attack on the presidential palace that resulted in the deaths of 19 people, mostly assailants, according to the government.
Roadblocks and heightened security measures around the palace, implemented late on Wednesday,8th January, were lifted as traffic resumed its normal flow, according to AFP journalists on the scene.
The attack began with heavy gunfire erupting near the presidential complex just before 8:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) on Wednesday.
Government spokesman and Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah reported that a 24-member commando unit, armed with “weapons, machetes, and knives,” targeted the palace guards but was swiftly neutralised.
Koulamallah described the assailants, who were dressed in civilian clothing and came from a poor neighbourhood in the south of the city, as drunken “Pieds Nickelés,” referencing a French comic about hapless crooks. He stated that 18 attackers were killed, with six others wounded. A presidential guard was also killed and three others injured during the confrontation.
Hours after the shooting ceased, Koulamallah appeared in a Facebook video, surrounded by soldiers with a gun at his belt, declaring, “The situation is completely under control… The destabilisation attempt was put down.” He confirmed President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was inside the presidential palace during the attack but withheld further details.
Despite the government’s account, some opposition figures have raised doubts about the incident’s authenticity. Max Kemkoye, spokesman for the Political Actors’ Consultation Group (GCAP), described the event on Thursday as an “unfortunate synopsis” and suggested it was a “set-up” orchestrated by those in power.
Koulamallah has announced plans to brief accredited diplomats later in the day, while the prosecutor is also expected to release a statement regarding the attack.
