Chad opposition leader Yaya Dillo killed
An Opposition leader in Chad Yaya Dillo has been killed in a clash with security forces in Chad, officials report.
Dillo was accused by the government of involvement in a deadly attack on the country’s security agency, which he denied.
Heavy gunfire erupted near his party’s headquarters in the capital, N’Djamena, on Wednesday.
Dillo, a vocal critic of President Mahamat Déby, had opposed him since Déby took office in 2021, succeeding his father, who was killed by rebels after ruling for thirty years.
The violence comes ahead of presidential elections scheduled for May 6, aimed at restoring constitutional rule.
Communications Minister Abderaman Koulamallah told AFP that Dillo refused to surrender and fired on law enforcement before his death at his party’s headquarters.
On Wednesday, Mr Dillo said the accusation he was behind the attack on the National Security Agency (ANSE) headquarters was intended “to make me afraid so that I don’t go to the election”.
One of Mr Dillo’s colleagues, the general secretary of his Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF), told Reuters news agency that PSF members had come under attack from soldiers outside the ANSE building while trying to retrieve the body of their colleague Ahmed Torabi.
The PSF official said Mr Torabi was arrested and shot dead on Tuesday, before his body was dumped outside the ANSE building.
According to the government, Mr Torabi had attempted to assassinate the president of the Supreme Court.
There is a good reason why you should support the African Editors. Not everyone can afford to pay for news right now. That is why we keep our journalism open for everyone to read, including in Ghana. If this is you, please continue to read for free. But if you are able to, then there are three good reasons to support us today.
1. Our quality, journalism is a scrutinising force at a time when the rich and powerful are getting away with more and more.
2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner pulling the strings, so your money directly powers our reporting.
3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message.
Help power the African Editors' journalism for the years to come, whether with a small sum or a larger one. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just 1 Ghana Cedi through mobile money number: 0599896099/ +23359989609 and you can be rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
