Chad’s Capital City Erupts with Gun Battles After Armed Fighters Storm Presidential Palace

N’Djamena, Chad’s capital, remains tense after a deadly attack on the presidential palace Wednesday night left 19 dead. Twenty-four armed fighters stormed the heavily guarded complex, sparking gun battles with security forces. Among the dead were 18 attackers and one Chadian security official, with three others injured. President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who was inside the palace during the attack, was unharmed.

Military tanks and soldiers now patrol the city, and roads leading to the palace are blocked. Government officials have dismissed the attackers as “drunken crooks,” but many believe the incident points to deeper security vulnerabilities and growing instability.

The attack follows Chad’s controversial December parliamentary elections, boycotted by opposition parties who accused Deby’s government of electoral fraud. It also comes weeks after the country expelled French troops, raising concerns about a potential security vacuum. Experts warn that Chad’s fragile state could embolden armed groups, including Boko Haram and the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), to launch further attacks.

Authorities have arrested six suspects as investigations continue. Meanwhile, residents are bracing for further unrest, with analysts predicting more challenges to Deby’s government amid the nation’s volatile political climate.

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