Chad: ninth Saturday of mobilization one week before the presidential election
Audio 01:20
Ndjamena experienced a new day of mobilization against a sixth term of President Idriss Déby Itno (illustration).
Xaume Olleros / Bloomberg via Getty
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
One week before the first round of the presidential election in Chad, groups of young people tried to march in several districts of the capital for a ninth Saturday of mobilization against a new mandate of the head of state Idriss Déby Itno.
These marches, banned by the authorities, were quickly dispersed.
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With our correspondent in Ndjamena,
Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula
Whistles and slogans surprised the residents of Chagoua.
The signs carry a clear message: "No to a sixth term of the head of state Idriss Déby Itno".
The demonstrators are about thirty.
They are mainly supporters of the Transformers.
José, 28, denounces "
injustice
".
At his age, he has only known one president.
“
Thirty years is kilometers,
” he said, “
it hurts too much
”.
Injustice is also what motivated Hallardim to defy the ban on demonstrations.
“
I graduated without a job.
I am so tired of this situation.
It is unacceptable to see the State trust the illiterate and forget the educated,
”he says.
After ten minutes, riot police dispersed the demonstrators.
Other sporadic marches took place in the capital at the call of opposition parties and civil society organizations.
Jean-Bernard Padaré, spokesperson for the Patriotic Salvation Movement, the ruling party, sees it as a way of hiding a lack of a political program.
“
It is not the demonstration that provides solutions to the difficulties facing our fellow citizens.
As they have nothing to offer the Chadians, he thinks that calling for a boycott would weaken our position.
They will be bitterly denied on April 11,
”he predicts.
According to the opposition, some activists were arrested, others injured by tear gas fire.
A balance sheet that the authorities have not yet confirmed.
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Idriss Deby Itno
Chad