Chad declares seven days of mourning for the death of nearly 50 people during last week’s protests

Oct. 25 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The leader of the Chadian junta, Mahamat Idriss Déby, announced this Tuesday seven days of national mourning for the death of almost fifty people during the protests registered last week in the country against the military junta.

General Déby, who has described the protests as an “organized insurrection” supported by “foreign powers”, has accused the demonstrators of “cold-bloodedly killing civilians and assassinating members of the security forces” with sights set on generating a “civil war”.

Likewise, he has accused the different political actors in the country of “seeking the support of third parties” to exert greater pressure on the board, although he has not given details on which countries would have interfered or would be willing to do so.

“Weapons and money have been delivered from outside to opportunistic Chadians who have not hesitated to destroy the country to satisfy their personal desires and fulfill foreign political agendas,” he said before urging “reject any foreign manipulation,” according to information from the Alwihda Info portal.

Last week’s protests came after the junta decided to extend Déby’s term for another two years, who had initially planned to step down to return power to civilians. He was appointed president by the Army in 2021 after the death of his father, Idriss Déby Itno, who had led the country since 1990.

However, he has promised the formation of a national unity government after taking office as interim president of the country.