Demonstrations in Chad: Mahamat Déby declares seven days of national mourning

Chad’s transitional president, Mahamat Idriss Déby, has declared seven days of national mourning in memory of the victims of the 20 October demonstrations. These days of mourning begin on Tuesday 25 October 2022 at midnight and end on Monday 31 October at midnight. They are observed throughout the country.

“We will bury our dead in pain but with dignity. We must care for our wounded in solidarity. A seven-day mourning period will be observed throughout the country from Tuesday 25 October 2022 in memory of our compatriots who died during these tragic and regrettable events,” the Chadian president said in a televised address on Monday evening.
It should be recalled that on 20 October, at the initiative of the opposition and civil society, Chad witnessed demonstrations that were violently repressed by the army. According to the government, the confrontation left 50 people dead and at least 300 injured.

The demonstrators were protesting against the two-year extension of the political transition period and the continued rule of Mahamat Idriss Deby. This extension was one of the decisions taken at the end of the sovereign inclusive national dialogue. These meetings were boycotted by the opposition, civil society and two of the armed rebel groups.

According to President Deby, “These are not simple demonstrations but a real insurrection carefully planned to create chaos in the country. The 38-year-old five-star general also added that the initiators of the clashes had a “clear desire to start a civil war” before accusing them of having “coldly killed” “civilians” and “assassinated” members of the army “in their barracks”.

The son of the former president also indicated that the organisers of these demonstrations “recruited and used terrorist and paramilitary groups to carry out gratuitous mass murders” in Chad.

It should be noted that during this period of national mourning, flags are flown at half mast and all festive activities are prohibited. Only religious prayers and music are allowed in the media and places of worship.

The situation in Chad will be the subject of an extraordinary summit in Kinshasa on Tuesday 25 October. The heads of state and government of the Central African countries will discuss these demonstrations, which have become an insurrection, behind closed doors.