By — Edouard Takadji, Associated Press Edouard Takadji, Associated Press By — Krista Larson, Associated Press Krista Larson, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/at-least-30-killed-amid-anti-government-protests-in-chads-capital-authorities-say Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter At least 60 killed amid anti-government protests in Chad, authorities say World Updated on Oct 20, 2022 3:02 PM EDT — Published on Oct 20, 2022 2:51 PM EDT N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Chadian security forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrators in the country’s two largest cities Thursday killing at least 60 people, the government spokesman and a morgue official said. Authorities imposed a curfew after the violence, which came amid demonstrations in the central African nation against interim leader Mahamat Idriss Deby’s two-year extension of power. Chadian government spokesman Aziz Mahamat Saleh said 30 people were dead in the capital, N’Djamena. Organizers of the march, though, placed the toll higher, at 40. WATCH: Severe drought and Russia’s war in Ukraine intensify hunger and poverty in Chad Another 32 protesters were killed in Chad’s second-largest city, Moundou, according to an official in the city’s morgue. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said more than 60 people were wounded. Other protests were held in the towns of Doba and Sarh. These were the deadliest anti-government protests since Deby took over last year in the wake of his father’s assassination after more than three decades in power. Officials said the late President Idriss Deby Itno was killed by rebels while visiting Chadian troops on the battlefield in the country’s north in April 2021. At the main reference hospital in N’Djamena, overwhelmed doctors tended to scores of people with gunshot wounds. Some of the wounded were taken to Liberty Hospital by army vehicles and bore signs of having been tortured, witnesses said. Witnesses say demonstrators began to blow whistles at 3 a.m. all over the capital of N’Djamena. Police fired tear gas at the crowds but the demonstrators continued advancing and their numbers grew. It was then that security forces opened fire, leaving protesters struggling to gather the dead from the scene amid the tear gas. Among those killed was a Chadian journalist, Narcisse Oredje, who worked for CEFOD radio and was struck by a bullet. ___ Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Edouard Takadji, Associated Press Edouard Takadji, Associated Press By — Krista Larson, Associated Press Krista Larson, Associated Press
N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Chadian security forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrators in the country’s two largest cities Thursday killing at least 60 people, the government spokesman and a morgue official said. Authorities imposed a curfew after the violence, which came amid demonstrations in the central African nation against interim leader Mahamat Idriss Deby’s two-year extension of power. Chadian government spokesman Aziz Mahamat Saleh said 30 people were dead in the capital, N’Djamena. Organizers of the march, though, placed the toll higher, at 40. WATCH: Severe drought and Russia’s war in Ukraine intensify hunger and poverty in Chad Another 32 protesters were killed in Chad’s second-largest city, Moundou, according to an official in the city’s morgue. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said more than 60 people were wounded. Other protests were held in the towns of Doba and Sarh. These were the deadliest anti-government protests since Deby took over last year in the wake of his father’s assassination after more than three decades in power. Officials said the late President Idriss Deby Itno was killed by rebels while visiting Chadian troops on the battlefield in the country’s north in April 2021. At the main reference hospital in N’Djamena, overwhelmed doctors tended to scores of people with gunshot wounds. Some of the wounded were taken to Liberty Hospital by army vehicles and bore signs of having been tortured, witnesses said. Witnesses say demonstrators began to blow whistles at 3 a.m. all over the capital of N’Djamena. Police fired tear gas at the crowds but the demonstrators continued advancing and their numbers grew. It was then that security forces opened fire, leaving protesters struggling to gather the dead from the scene amid the tear gas. Among those killed was a Chadian journalist, Narcisse Oredje, who worked for CEFOD radio and was struck by a bullet. ___ Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now