Chad Capital calm after deadly Presidential palace assault

Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, remained calm on Thursday morning following an armed attack on the presidential palace that resulted in the de@ths of 19 people, mostly assailants, according to the government. 

Roadblocks and heightened security measures around the palace, implemented late Wednesday, 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 neutralized.

Koulamallah described the assailants, who were dressed in civilian clothing and came from a poor neighborhood in the south of the city, as drunken “Pieds Nickelés,” referencing a French comic about hapless crooks. He stated that 18 attackers were k!lled, with six others wounded. A presidential guard was also k!lled 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 destabilization 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.