The central African state of Chad was rocked by an attack on its National Security Agency (ANSE) on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Several people were killed in the shootout. In retaliation, the government arrested and killed some oppositionists who they claimed were behind the attack, including 49-year-old Yaya Dillo, the leader of Chad’s Socialist Party without Borders (PSF).
The Republic of Chad is a large, landlocked and sparsely-populated country, with a population of 19 million. Its government consists of three branches — executive, legislative and judicial — similar to that of the United States. The president is elected by the people and can serve for a maximum of two six-year terms. Chad is not politically stable — on a scale provided by The Global Economy, Chad’s political stability in 2022 was rated -1.48 on a scale from -2.5 to 2.5.
The current president, Mahamat Déby, took power under abnormal circumstances. After the assassination of his father, President Idriss Déby, Mahamat Déby claimed the top job for himself when the government fell into the hands of the transitional military council that was supposed to remain for eighteen months. After this period, a new, permanent government would be implemented. Déby announced two years ago that he would instead serve until 2024, which sparked outrage throughout Chad.
Déby’s cousin, Yaya Dillo, was the leader of the PSF up until his death. Dillo previously held positions of power in Chad’s government, first as a federal bureaucrat and later the ambassador to the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, which is an organization of several states that aims to promote mutual economic growth. Dillo was well-educated, too. He studied electrical engineering and telecommunications at the University of Ottawa. With all of his achievements and merit, he was a strong contender to win the presidential election on May 6, 2024. With Dillo’s death, this dream came to an abrupt end.
This spectacle began with the Feb. 27 killing of PSF member Ahmed Torabi, who the government claimed had attempted to assassinate the Supreme Court president. Torabi’s body was left outside of the ANSE building.
The reason behind the shootout at the ANSE is unknown. The Chadian government claims that PSF members, led by Dillo, started the attack, but Dillo himself claimed that he was not present and that the PSF only wanted to retrieve Torabi’s corpse.
On February 28, several members of the PSF were arrested and shot by the Chadian police. The next day, the Chadian government announced that Yaya Dillo had been killed because he had refused to surrender to authorities.
Currently, the city is quiet. Police officers are roaming the streets of N’Djamena, though, and they are keeping their eyes on civilians. The country’s internet was cut off after the attack, and it remains so. In addition, military checkpoints have been set upon streets throughout the city. All seems to be calm in N’Djamena for the time being, but the tension can snap at any moment.
