The President of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has issued a communiqué over the situation in Chad, expressing deep regrets with the use of violence that has resulted in the death and injury of top Chadians.
He prays that the soils of the dead rest in peace.
He offers his sincere condolences to the families of the disappeared, and wishes the wounded a speedy recovery following series of attacks.
The President of the Commission reiterates the immutable principle of the African Union, that of the peaceful settlement of disputes and, on occasion, the urgent need for Chad to genuinely reconnect with the inclusive dialogue of all political, social, civil and military forces for a future of stability, democracy and shared prosperity.
Days after the killing of Chad opposition politician Yaya Dillo, in disputed circumstances, many analysts in the conflict-racked Central African nation have expressed concerns about how his allies, powerful relatives, and rivals will react.
The Chadian government has said that Dillo was killed in an exchange of gunfire with security forces on Feb. 28. It said members of his Socialist Party Without Borders had earlier attacked the internal security agency where several people were killed.
Following this, heavy gunfire was heard in Chad’s capital N’Djamena near the headquarters of Dillo’s Socialist Party Without Borders.
The violence comes amid tensions ahead of a presidential election set for May and June that could return the Central African state to constitutional rule three years after military authorities seized power.
Accounts of the incident given by the government and the party have differed.
A government statement said the agency was attacked by representatives of the opposition party, led by its leader Yaya Dillo, resulting in several deaths.
Detailing a separate incident, the government said a member of the party, Ahmed Torabi, had carried out an assassination attempt against the president of the Supreme Court, Samir Adam Annour. Torabi was arrested, it said.
The opposition party’s general secretary told reporters that the deaths near the security agency occurred when soldiers opened fire at a group of party members.
But the FACT opposition rebel group and the CNRD opposition party have called it an assassination and analysts say the circumstances are unclear.
The capital, N’Djamena, was quiet two days after the death, though residents said security forces were deployed in key locations and soldiers searched for weapons at checkpoints overnight.
Access to the internet has been cut.
The May and June votes were meant to draw a line under three years of military rule by transitional President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who seized power after his long-ruling father was killed in clashes with rebels in April 2021.
Deby junior, who is standing in the vote, has since faced street protests against delays in the elections and has had to bring some members of the opposition into his government, under moves to ease tensions brokered by regional leaders.
The United Nations and regional leaders have called for calm and urged Chadians to focus on the vote.
The violence this week has further exposed the complex ethnic and family ties that make up Chadian elite politics.