In the spotlight: face to face tense in Chad

Audio 04:14

A protester on April 27, 2021 in Ndjamena.

© Issouf Sanogo / AFP

By: Frédéric Couteau Follow

9 mins

Publicity

Face to face between the military power and the national coordination of the citizens' movement in Chad. The coordination which "

condemns with the last energy the repression of demonstrations by the police on Tuesday

,

reports the Chad Info news site

.

For coordination, it is a

"barbaric"

act

committed by law enforcement officers. The coordination which notes that

"this repression caused 11 deaths by live ammunition, about fifty wounded and more than 200 arrests. This massive expression of the citizens,

she continues

, in this case the young people against the interference and the Military Council transition, shows the aspiration of Chadians for democratic change ". "

Tuesday's repression was condemned,

notes

Le Journal du Tchad

, by France, but also by the European Union and the United States.

Le Journal du Tchad,

which also notes that Amnesty International has requested an investigation into the circumstances of the death of the demonstrators.

On the verge of explosion?

On Wednesday, relative calm reigned in Ndjamena, but the press in the sub-region and beyond feared new incidents.

"

A pressure cooker ready to explode

", headlines the daily

Enquête

in Dakar.

Avoid chaos at all costs

,”

implores

Le Pays

in Burkina Faso

.

The Country

which considers that "

Nothing seems to overcome the determination of the Chadian opposition movement which challenges the dynastic devolution of power in the country.

Neither the ban on demonstrations decided by the Transitional Military Council, nor even the corpses that were collected at the end of the first day of the demonstration, seem to dampen the ardor of the opposition leaders who continue to demand the departure of the military from power.

And it is certainly not the change of tone of France with the exit of President Macron who brings water to the mill of the protesters or the position of the African Union, which will lower the mercury of the political thermometer. in Chad.

"

Concessions on both sides?

Conversely

,

Ledjely in Guinea points to a certain appeasement.

 “

The two camps seem to have learned the lessons of the agitated day that Chad lived on Tuesday

, notes the Guinean site.

On the one hand, the junta commanded by General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, because of the many condemnations of repression, realizes that everything is not allowed. On the other hand, the opponents, with the ten deaths they deplore, must have understood that the camp opposite does not only make sterile threats and that, to overcome them, human sacrifice will be important. Consequence

, notes the Guinean site,

the two sides devoted the day yesterday Wednesday to introspection and reassessment of the strategy.

Should we persist in the logic of die-hardism?

Thus, on the side of the authorities, if the preponderant place of the CMT in the management of the transition remains the line not to be crossed, however, we now seem inclined to accept the principle of holding demonstrations

, points out Ledjely.

We just demand that the organizers know how to channel their flock.

As for the opposition, this Wednesday, it persisted in maintaining the pressure, but more by speeches and denunciations than by raids in the street.

"

France's “

yes but

And the role of France in all of this?

"

In the name of stability and security in the sub-region where Chad remains an important link in the anti-terrorism chain, Paris has provided support to the CMT

,"

L'Observateur Paalga

in Burkina

recalls

.

But not at any price,

reminded the tenant of the Élysée on Wednesday.

(…)

Petit Déby must therefore know that the support of the Gallic Rooster, condemned, it is true, to watch over the grain in his Chadian farmyard, is not definitively acquired and that he will therefore have to give pledges of openness and good governance for a peaceful and consensual transition.

"

Dark picture ...

Finally, for Cécile Petitdemange, specialist in Chad,

interviewed by

Jeune Afrique

, this “

announced transition questions.

The Transitional Military Council is, a priori, in line with the continuity of the Déby system.

France shines with the constancy of its imperialism.

The civil opposition, caught between the power of arms and French realpolitik, will have to bring all its weight to bear to renew this historic opportunity for political dialogue.

The picture is dark,

she concludes,

and Ndjamena holds her breath.

"

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  • Newspaper

  • Chad

  • Idriss Deby Itno

  • Mahamat Idriss Deby

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • French politics