Oct 20,2022:Police in Chad’s capital N’Djamena have clashed with demonstrators who defied a protest ban to demand a quicker transition to democratic rule.
Hundreds of people took to the streets on Thursday to mark the date when the military had initially promised to hand over power – a period that has been extended for another two years.
The country has been rocked by a political crisis since longtime President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield in April 2021 while visiting front-line troops.
Mahamat Idriss Deby, his 38-year-old son, was then installed by the military as interim president. He had initially promised not to take part in elections that would follow an 18-month transition to civilian rule but as the deadline neared, a nationwide forum staged by Deby reset the clock.
On October 1, it approved a new “maximum” 24-month timeframe for holding elections. It also named Deby “transitional president” and declared he could be a candidate in the poll. Deby was sworn in on October 10, and later appointed a so-called government of national union headed by Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo.
