N'DJAMENA — At least two people were killed and 27 injured
in Chad on Tuesday as demonstrators took to the streets demanding a return to
civilian rule after the military took control following
President Idriss Deby's
death last week.
اضافة اعلان
Tensions have risen in Chad following Deby's death and the
military transition is struggling to win over a population exhausted by 30
years of monolithic, autocratic rule.
A health official at a hospital in the capital N'Djamena,
who requested anonymity, confirmed the death of a man in his 20s who was
brought into the emergency ward along with 27 other people injured during
Tuesday's protests.
Witnesses also reported the death of another protester in
Moundou, Chad's second largest city.
A spokesman for the ruling military council said security
forces were attempting to contain the protesters while limiting material
damage.
The military council seized power after Deby was killed as
he visited troops fighting rebels on April 19.
Some opposition politicians have called the military
takeover a coup and asked supporters to protest, even as the army appointed a
civilian politician, Albert Pahimi Padacke, as prime minister of a transitional
government on Monday.
The military council banned protests in a statement on
Monday evening, saying no demonstrations that could lead to disorder were
allowed while the country was still in mourning.
'No monarchy'
Headed by Deby's son
Mahamat Idriss Deby, who was declared
president, the military council has said it will oversee an 18-month transition
to elections.
"We do not want our country to become a monarchy,"
said 34-year-old protester Mbaidiguim Marabel. "The military must return
to the barracks to make way for a civilian transition."
Trucks loaded with soldiers were seen patrolling the streets
around central N'Djamena.
"The police came, they fired tear gas. But we are not
scared," said Timothy Betouge, age 70.
Police responded with tear gas as protesters burned tyres in
several neighborhoods of N'Djamena early on Tuesday. A Reuters witness said
firefighters struggled to contain a blaze which was large enough to be seen
from far away.
The council is coming under international pressure to hand
over power to civilians as soon as possible. The African Union has expressed
"grave concern" about the military takeover, while France, the former
colonial ruler, and some of Chad's neighbors are pushing for a
civilian-military solution.
Anti-French sentiment was running high among the protesters,
who blamed France for having backed the Deby regime against the will of the
people.
Posts on social media showed protesters burning a French flag.
Reuters reporters in N'Djamena were repeatedly berated by
protesters who assumed they were French and told them to "go back to
France". The reporters saw businesses with French connections, such as a
Total fuel station, being targeted by protesters.
Deby's death came as Chad's military battles an insurrection
by Libya-based rebels known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT).
The rebels came as close as 200-300km from N'Djamena before being pushed back
by the army.
Chad's military council rejected an offer from the rebels
for peace talks on Sunday, calling them "outlaws" who needed to be
tracked down and arrested for their role in Deby's death.
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