Chad
Chad: With new courage against old rulers
The civil society in Chad demonstrated against arbitrariness and Repression. Thousands trust themselves on the streets. Six weeks before the elections unit President Déby under pressure.
On Wednesday, nothing went in the Chad capital of N’Djamena: markets remained closed, the classroom is orphaned; the traffic came almost to a Standstill. Trade unions and many civil society groups had for a General strike is called and the people came not only in the capital but also in other cities of the country. They demanded the resignation of the head of state Idriss Déby in April for a fifth term in office want to run. Already in the year 2004 he had to change the Constitution, which until then only two terms in a row allowed.
“There are more people protesting than we expected,” says Mahamat Nour Ibedou, spokesman of the Alliance’s “Ça suffit” – in English: “It is enough” – in an interview with the German wave. For the inhabitants of the provinces was resistance particularly difficult, explains Ibedou. “The authorities are shy there the protesters and threaten you.”
Government spokesman Moustapha Ali Alifei referred to the protests as “unconstitutional and illegal”. The civil society should not be “to revolt”.
From Resignation to action
That the people in Chad their displeasure about their President so openly show was amazing, says Heath Wegat from the Protestant development service bread for the world”. It has the Chad recently visited with members of their partner organizations, such as the human rights League, spoke. For many years, have only a minority voice against arbitrary arrests, corruption, mismanagement and endemic poverty is levied, Wegat. Recently had the activists are in a kind of “state of shock” and “great uncertainty” findings, “because the African Union the tschadischen President Idriss Déby at the end of January without any Hesitation, the Chairman has made.” This international recognition for the head of state, since the 1990 ruling, was daunting.
President Idriss Déby has rotating AU chairmanship held
While Débys term of office, were repeatedly members of the opposition threatened, interrogated, arrested, or kidnapped and tortured. Fundamental rights are regularly violated. The civil administration and the military are stopped, activities of human rights activists to monitor. Independent Rapporteur to be intimidated.
Encouraging words from the West
With objections to his renewed presidential bid by the international community, hardly to be expected: it has Déby as a Partner in the
The fight against the terrorist group Boko Haram significantly upgraded. “You assume your office in a difficult time,” wrote German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the new AU Chairperson to the office. “Our two continents are in the fight against terrorism, crisis management and addressing the causes of flight and irregular Migration equally challenged.”
The USA and France go one step further. You build the Chad next to an Outpost in the fight against extremists. This week started the United States for a three-week international maneuvers in the Central African country.
Violence against women and protesters
Trigger for the recent protests was a Vergewaltigungsskandal. In mid-February was a 16-year-old Oberschülerin of several young men brutally raped. The perpetrators should be a son of the Minister of foreign Affairs, and three sons high generals count. The student is the daughter of an opposition candidate in the presidential election.
Chad has the Terror militia Boko Haram announced the fight
Shortly after the fact Handyaufnahmen of the act of violence appeared on the Internet, went to pupils and students across the country on the road. The security forces responded with full force: In the town of Faya shot soldiers, a 17-Jährigern and injured five teenagers. The Regime responded with Demonstrationsverboten.
Although the eight alleged rapists, meanwhile, arrested and the public Prosecutor’s office took up the case, but one brought the men in a Sicherheitsgefängnis in the middle of the desert, instead of giving the public the process of making. It is a further Annoyance for the amount of population, which in many respects has had enough. Mahamat Nour Ibedou, the spokesperson of the Alliance “Ça suffit”, at least says: “The demonstrations were the first stage for further actions.”
President Déby in distress?
It actually seems that the mood in the country “to churn”, as Heath Wegat finds. In many E-Mails from the Chad show the civil-society actors, new courage and new willingness to engage. Whether the President and his Herrschaftsclique of them can impress, however, is questionable. “We are already 25 years in Power and have no fear. The only thing that Worries us, is the observance of the peace,” said government spokesman Alifei.
The tschadische political scientist Ahmat Mahamat Hassane wants to disagree, but he gives the hope not to: “If the elections are coming and when they should be transparent, then the people against Déby vote.”
In Collaboration With: Fréjus Quenum