The military junta that governs Chad reported Thursday that it has decided to delay the entry into force of the curfew imposed after the strong protests registered a week ago, which resulted in half a hundred deaths and hundreds of wounded.
The authorities have now indicated that the curfew will begin at 10 p.m. instead of 6 p.m., the time previously stipulated. It will therefore last until 6:00 a.m. (local time), a decision that has already been applauded by residents of N’Djamena, the capital.
However, the local population insists on the need to completely lift the measure and release all those who have been arrested in the framework of the protests, registered after the junta decided to extend Mahamat Idriss Déby’s mandate at the head of the country for another two years despite the fact that he was scheduled to leave office.
Déby, for his part, has defended the establishment of a curfew and has applauded the decision taken this week by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to appoint former Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi as the new head of the transition process in Chad, according to information from the news portal Alwihda Info.
In his opinion, the summit held to address the situation in the country has made it possible to «reaffirm solidarity with the government of national unity». «This will help to achieve dialogue with those who have not signed the Doha agreement or have not yet participated in the talks at the national level,» he said.
