Chad opposition killed in a gun exchange with the army ahead of election
3 min read
The Chad opposition leader was killed as he led the attack on a security agency in the capital, official says
The Chad opposition leader was killed as he led the attack on a security agency in the capital, official says
Chadian opposition politician Yaya Dillo has been killed during an exchange of fire with security forces, state prosecutor Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye said at a news conference.
Dillo was among several people killed after he led an attack on the National State Security Agency (ANSE) in the capital N’Djamena this week, the prosecutor said on Thursday.
Heavy gunfire was heard on Wednesday in N’Djamena, near the headquarters of Dillo’s opposition Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF), a witness told the Reuters news agency.
The shooting erupted after several people were killed in earlier clashes near the ANSE building.
The attack underscored the tenuous situation in the central African country ahead of a presidential election scheduled for May 6.
Dillo, 49, was current President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno’s cousin and a strong contender in the polls.
Dillo died on Wednesday “where he had retreated, at the headquarters of his party”, Abderaman Koulamallah, the Chadian communications minister told the AFP news agency.
“He didn’t want to surrender and fired on law enforcement,” he added.
Dillo “died assassinated by the republican guard”, PSF spokesman Evariste Gabnon said hours after his death was announced.
His body was handed over to his family for the funeral, the AFP reported.
“The death of opposition leader Yaya Dillo followed a siege on his house and the houses of other top officials of the opposition Socialist Party Without Borders in N’Djamena on Wednesday,” said Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abuja in neighbouring Nigeria.
“But before then there was a gunfight on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, while officials say they confronted armed elements belonging to the opposition after they tried to assassinate the president of the country’s top court.”
Ruto introduces mandatory requirement for Kenyans seeking to affordable houses
SIX African presidents who have already agreed to support Raila bid for AU job
Daystar University on the spot for ‘forcing students to attend chapel services’
Al-Shabaab kidnap TWO Kenyan police after an ambush
Why Raila AU job bid is in limbo
Dillo was accused of leading the attack on the national security agency, but he had denied any involvement.
Speaking to AFP this week, Dillo dismissed the allegation as a “lie” and said it was politically motivated.
Dillo also condemned accusations by the government of a PSF-coordinated “assassination attempt against the president of the Supreme Court”, which Dillo called “staged”.
The violence flared amid tensions ahead of the elections that could return Chad to constitutional rule three years after military authorities seized power.
On Thursday, there was still a heavy military presence in the capital, and access to the presidential palace was blocked.
“There is a heavy presence of security forces, also around the headquarters of the opposition Socialist Party Without Borders,” Idris said.
Internet access, which was blocked a day earlier, had still not been restored, a Reuters witness added.
Also read,
Ruto legal advisor responds to resignation calls over housing levy directive
Police shoot KMPDU SG Davji Atellah during protests in Nairobi
Missing government employee found stuffed in a sack
Raila hints at dropping AU seat to concentrate on 2027 general election
CS Kuria sends cryptic message over powerful forces sabotaging his work
Majority of University students risk dropping out as government cuts funding
Follow us
