The night of January 8 turned bloody in the Chadian capital after an "armed attack" occurred just steps away from the presidential palace, shortly after President Déby met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Rumors had been circulating since last night when eyewitnesses reported a firefight lasting nearly an hour between a group of armed men and the guards on duty outside the presidential palace, located in central N'Djamena. Video footage subsequently shared on social media, purportedly filmed by military personnel at the palace entrance, showed Chadian security forces moving among numerous bloodied corpses lying on the ground, stained with blood. Other videos depicted young men in civilian clothes, alive but tied up and sitting on the ground.
To address the growing concerns, both the government and the public prosecutor issued official statements on the incident.
According to government spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah, 24 individuals in civilian attire, armed with firearms and bladed weapons, attacked the palace guards but were swiftly neutralized. The attackers were described as "a bunch of incompetent thugs, drugged and intoxicated."
The official casualty report, updated on Thursday, confirmed 18 assailants dead and six injured. On the presidential side, two guards were killed, and five others wounded.
These figures were corroborated on Thursday, January 9, by Chad's public prosecutor, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye. He added that the 24 attackers had feigned a vehicle breakdown before launching their assault, attempting to breach the presidential palace.
"The situation is fully under control. (...) This destabilization attempt has been completely eradicated," Koulamallah declared in a video posted on Facebook from the presidential palace.
Later, speaking on national television, the government spokesperson suggested the attack was "likely not terrorist in nature."
The Head of State, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, was reportedly at the palace during the attack, according to Koulamallah, who provided no further details. At this stage, the president has not made any public statements.
"Chadians can sleep peacefully; our country is well-guarded. Congratulations to our defense and security forces!" the spokesperson concluded on national television late in the evening.
The "attack" occurred shortly after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to N'Djamena, during which he met with President Déby at the presidential palace.
