Source : Sahel weather October 2024 

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In Chad, the recent security setback has been severe. At least forty soldiers killed. This is the toll of the deadly attack by the terrorist group Boko Haram on the evening of October 27, against a Chadian army base in the Lake Chad region, in the south-west of the country. Located on the island of Barkaram, not far from the border with Nigeria, the base was set on fire by the attackers, according to local sources. Contrary to the Chadian presidency's count, local sources report that “ some sixty soldiers lost their lives and dozens were wounded. This is one of the most ferocious attacks recorded in recent years. As proof of this, President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno promptly arrived on the scene. In the immediate aftermath, he declared three days of national mourning, and at the same time launched Operation Haskanite to “ pursue and hunt down the assailants to the very end. In the face of this tragedy, the entire political field did not hesitate to show patriotic solidarity. Three days after the attack, a meeting of civil society organizations (CSOs) from the Lake Chad basin was held in Ndjamena. The steering committee of this meeting, which advocated greater involvement of local communities, presented an action plan “ to complement state initiatives to meet the complex challenges, the task ahead of us is considerable, as we strive to put into practice the principles of sustainable development.

This Boko Haram strike occurred in the shadow of internal political turmoil, crystallized around the upcoming legislative and local elections. Scheduled for December 29, several opposition parties had called for a postponement, citing the recent deadly floods, a poisonous political climate and doubts about the reliability of the electoral process. These criticisms were ignored by President Déby, who firmly maintained the date. Reacting to the news, opposition politician and former prime minister Succès Masra announced that his party “Les transformateurs” would not be taking part in the vote. “ Participating in the elections today, under these conditions, would be tantamount purely and simply to serving as a guarantor for the installation of apartheid [in the country] and a guarantor for a result that is already in the computers of the camp opposite,” he denounced on October 20, at a ceremony organized to commemorate the bloody repression of October 2022. A decision greeted like a hair on the soupby part of the opposition. “ How is it that the same code presented and discussed in the Council of Ministers while he was Prime Minister, validated by him, can come back today, call it into question and demand its modification? “ wonders the coordinator of the Groupe de concertation des partis politiques (GCAP), Max Kemkoye. Adding that "it's a case of political zizanie, so it's a step backwards that's understandable, but won't do any good.

The ship of the presidential coalition is also taking on water. This is due to the decision of the MPS (Mouvement patriotique du salut) - a member of the “Tchad uni” coalition - to go it alone in the December 29 elections. “ This announcement signals the death of the Tchad uni coalition, whereas yesterday we were standing side by side, now we're going to be fighting each other on the ground! This is ingratitude on the part of the secretary general of the MPS. He's pulled the wool over our eyes. But as we know him well, we're not surprised,” defended Malloun Yoboïdé Djilaki, president of the Parti démocratique et socialiste pour l'alternance (PDSA). The Union sacrée pour la République (USPR) was equally disappointed. “ It's not normal to say that everyone will go their own way and that we'll meet again for the harvest: we could have used the same reasoning for the presidential elections ”, lamented the party leader. President Déby has also dismissed several senior security officials. These include No. 2 on the General Staff of the Chadian Armed Forces, the Army Chief of Staff and his two deputies, the Director General of the Police and his two deputies, the Director General of the Gendarmerie, and Nos. 2 and 3 of the National Guard.

At the same time, the humanitarian situation is not exactly rosy. The country continues to cope with the consequences of flooding, with an unprecedented flood level of 8.18 m in the Chari River. Since July, more than 500 people have died and 1.9 million have been affected by the floods. Things are getting tougher on the other side of the border with Sudan. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has noted a new influx of over 20,000 Sudanese - in the first week of October alone - into the province of Wadi Fira. According to the UNHCR, the urgent need is to raise $80 million to build three new reception sites. But the UN agency deplores the fact that, to date, it has received only 11% of the $214 million needed.