A Chadian opposition leader, Yaya Dillo Djérou has been killed during a shootout with security ahead of long-awaited elections in the country scheduled for May 6, 2024.
It was reported on Wednesday, February 28, that there was intense gunfire near the headquarters of the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF) – Dillo’s party in the capital city, N’Djamena.
Images circulated on social media depict a significant deployment of military forces in the streets of the capital.
The attack followed the arrest earlier Wednesday of the opposition party’s finance secretary for allegedly trying to assassinate the president of the country’s supreme court
Abderaman Koulamallah, the Chadian communications minister, told AFP that the primary intention was not to kill Dillo.
He said, “He didn’t want to surrender and fired on law enforcement.”
According to Reuters, state prosecutor Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye at a news conference on Thursday said Dillo was among several killed but did not elaborate on the circumstances of his death or say who shot him.
The outbreak of violence occurred amidst escalating tensions leading up to a presidential election scheduled for May and June. This election could mark the Central African state’s return to constitutional governance, three years after a military takeover.
As of Thursday morning, calm had been restored in the capital, and residents were resuming their daily activities. However, internet access, which had been blocked the previous day, remained unavailable, according to a witness from Reuters.