19 killed as Chad thwarts armed assault on presidential complex

CAIRO – 9 January 2025: Chad's security forces successfully thwarted an armed assault on the country’s presidential complex, resulting in the deaths of at least 19 people, including 18 of the attackers.

The attempted storming of the president's office occurred on Wednesday evening, with a force of 24 armed men engaging in gun battles with security personnel.

Chad’s foreign minister and government spokesman, Abderaman Koulamallah, confirmed that one member of the security forces lost his life, while three others were injured, one critically.

In a video following the incident, Koulamallah, flanked by soldiers and armed himself, declared, “The situation is completely under control … the destabilisation attempt was put down.”

President Mahamat Idriss Deby was in the presidential complex during the attack, said Koulamallah.

Deby came to power in 2021 after his father, the longtime president Idriss Deby, died of wounds after clashes between the state’s soldiers and rebels.