TheCable

At least 50 people were killed and nearly 300 injured in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital, when police clashed with protesters demanding an end to military rule.

The incident which happened on Thursday was described as an armed insurrection, according to Saleh Kebzabo, Chad’s prime minister.

Speaking at a news conference, Kebzabo said the government was still compiling casualties.

According to Al Jazeera, 32 protesters were killed in Moundou, Chad’s second-largest city, according to an official in the city’s morgue.

The official, who reportedly spoke on condition of anonymity, said more than 60 people were wounded.

The military-run Central African nation has been in crisis since the April 2021 death of President Idriss Deby, who ruled with an iron fist for three decades.

Mahamat Deby, his son, seized power in the immediate aftermath and initially promised an 18-month transition to elections, but adopted changes to Chad’s laws on October 1 that pushed back democratic elections by two years.

Since Deby’s coup last year, riots have occasionally broken out in Chad, but the one on Thursday seemed to be the worst.

The protests were planned to mark the conclusion of an initially agreed-upon 18-month transition period however the government warned against them, citing security concerns.

“What happened today is an armed popular uprising to seize power by force and those responsible for this violence will face justice,” said Kebzabo.

“The demonstrators had firearms and they are considered rebels. The security forces responded only in self-defence.”

Moussa Mahamat, African Union commission chairman and a former Chadian prime minister, condemned the violence and called for a peaceful solution to the crisis in a tweet.

“I strongly condemn the repression of the demonstrations which led to the death of men at #Tchad. I call on the parties to respect human lives and property and to favor peaceful ways to overcome the crisis,” he tweeted.

The United Nations, the US, and other members of the international community have also issued statements expressing concern about the violence and urging all parties to exercise restraint.