Violence of October 20 in Chad: Human Rights Watch unveils its report on “Black Thursday”
Barricades in the streets of Ndjamena in Chad, during the violence of October 20, 2022. © AFP
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In a report made public on January 23, 2023, the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) indicates in particular that "
the violence against demonstrators was extreme and disproportionate
" on October 20, 2022 in Chad during a demonstration of the opposition which had been banned by the authorities.
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In Chad, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released on January 23, 2023
its report on the repression of October 20, 2022
in Ndjamena and several other cities in the country following a call from several opposition parties and social organizations. civil against the maintenance of Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno at the head of the transition.
Since then, the government and the opposition have rejected responsibility for what is known in Chad as "Black Thursday" and give contradictory assessments: 50 people, including around 15 police officers, were killed, and 600 people arrested, according to the authorities who denounced an armed insurrection;
the opposition speaks of 300 people killed, hundreds missing and more than a thousand people arrested.
Read also: three months later, power and opposition blame each other for the violence of October 20
HRW researchers went there last November and interviewed 68 people: victims, family members of victims, witnesses, and government officials.
Their report is rather damning for the power.
It appears from this investigation that contrary to the accusations of the Chadian government, "
the demonstrators were not armed
", but they used "
slingshots to throw stones at the soldiers and set fire to public property
", according to HRW , which speaks in particular of "
police stations [attacked] and destroyed property
".
“Security forces fired live ammunition at protesters”
On the other hand, according to the human rights organization, "
violence against demonstrators has been extreme and disproportionate
", since "
security forces have fired live ammunition at demonstrators
" .
, while others were beaten up or "
chased into houses and arrested
".
And this violence against civilians did not stop on October 20 alone, explains the NGO, which speaks of hundreds of people, including children, subsequently sent to
Koro Toro
prison, a high security prison located in middle of the desert, 600 kilometers from Ndjamena.
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To read also
: in Chad, the authorities admit having sent more than 600 detainees to Koro Toro
For the moment, this organization recognizes that its field investigation has not enabled it to determine the exact number of victims of the repression of October 20, but this number "
could be much higher than the official figures
", she says in substance citing local NGOs who “
suspect some people are still missing
.”
Finally, the power had assured that at least 15 members of the police had been killed by the demonstrators.
However, Human Rights Watch
has not been able to confirm the deaths of police officers, despite its attempts, in particular with the authorities.
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