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19 people have been killed in Chad as a result of fighting at the presidential palace in the country’s capital, Ndjamena.
Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah announced this on Wednesday.
Among the dead, 18 of them were part of the commando unit that carried out the attack.
“Among us, one is dead and three are injured – one of them seriously”, says Abderaman Koulamallah.
The deceased is an employee of the security staff.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, it was said that shots had been heard near the presidential palace. Koulamallah then stated that soldiers were defending the president and that the situation was under control.
Security sources told the AFP news agency that an armed commando opened fire inside the presidential palace at around 19:45 on Wednesday. He was then overpowered by the president’s guard.
According to an AFP reporter at the scene, all roads leading to the presidential palace were blocked and tanks could be seen in the streets.
Civilians fled the capital’s center in cars and on motorbikes, while armed officers were spotted in several places.
The suspected attack comes a week after the central African nation held parliamentary elections that could help restore democracy in the country.
The opposition boycotted this election and the results have not yet been announced. It is expected that President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno will emerge as the winner of the election.
Chad is located in central Africa north of the Equator.
The country is approximately three and a half times the size of Germany and has a population of approximately 18 million people.
It is under military rule and regularly attacked by the jihadist group Boko Haram. It is unclear whether the attack on Wednesday was carried out by Boko Haram.
The country recently terminated a military agreement with its former colonial power, France. It has also been accused of meddling in the conflict ravaging neighboring Sudan.
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Source: politiken.dk
