Yaya Dillo Djérou, the main rival of General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, was killed in the siege of his party on Wednesday, February 29. The opposition cries foul play.
Known to be the fiercest opponent of his cousin, Mahamat Déby, Yaya Dillo Djérou "succumbed to his injuries" after "having himself fired upon the security forces," stated the Minister of Communication on Thursday, March 1. Abderaman Koulamall added, "Holed up in the headquarters of his party, he (Yaya Dillo) refused to surrender."
Four deaths among the security forces and three in Yaya Dillo's camp, this is the grim toll presented by Minister Koulamall following the assault carried out by the Chadian army on the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF).
Videos circulating on social media depict the violence of the assault. Intense gunfire can be heard from afar, and one can see large holes in the facade of the PSF headquarters.
"Yaya Dillo was murdered by the Republican Guard," declared Evariste Gabnon, spokesperson for the PSF, to AFP, directly accusing the elite corps of the army and the praetorian guard of the Chadian head of state.
"It can only be a premeditated assassination," also affirmed Rakhis Ahmat, leader of the Party for Democratic Renewal of Chad (PRDT) in a statement to AFP.
Max Kemkoye, spokesperson for the second-largest opposition platform CGAP, also accused the transitional military government of "assassinating" Y. Dillo.
"This is a heinous and unacceptable crime," commented Max Loalngar, coordinator of Wakit Tama, the main opposition platform, and civil society, to AFP.
According to the government, the army besieged the PSF on Wednesday because it wanted to arrest the leader of the PSF, accused of being the mastermind behind an "assassination attempt" on the president of the Supreme Court ten days earlier and of carrying out an "attack" on Tuesday night to Wednesday on the headquarters of the powerful intelligence service, ANSE, which resulted in "several deaths" according to Minister Koulamallah.
Y. Dillo, 49, denied it to AFP a few hours before his death, accusing in return the junta and the president of the Supreme Court of a "staging" aimed at sidelining him from the presidential election scheduled for May 6, which General Déby does not hide his intention to contest.
Wednesday's army assault occurred three years to the day after a similar attack by military personnel on Yaya Dillo's headquarters and his party on February 28, 2021, in which his mother and one of his sons were killed. The opponent was then wanted for "defaming" the wife of Marshal-President Idriss Déby, accusing her of massively embezzling public funds.
While running for president against his uncle Idriss Déby, Y. Dillo had managed to flee abroad, but the Supreme Court had invalidated his candidacy.
He returned to the country under the presidency of his cousin Mahamat Déby, claiming to "forgive" the deaths of his mother and son. However, he quickly became one of his most fierce opponents.