Protesters Gather at Hamama Circle in N’Djamena for Peaceful March

By seven o’clock this morning, the first protesters had arrived at the Hamama circle of N’Djamena for the second officially authorized ‘Wakit Tama’ march. Although the government still refuses to list Wakit Tama as the organizer of the event, the authorization was granted to several political parties earlier this week, just a few days ahead of the march scheduled for today.

As more people arrived, the environment began to heat up, with some groups dancing and singing while others shouted slogans and blew whistles. By the time the march started, the crowd, which already numbered at least 500, was visibly excited. Filling both sides of the wide road, the marchers carried banners, Chadian flags, and small signs with their complaints. As the national anthem was sung, it was hard to hear the noise from the wailing police sirens over the noise from the crowd.

Many different civil action groups have declared their support for this march, calling on their supporters to support Wakit Tama as they demand civil leadership and an end to what they some have called “a continuation of the regime of Idriss Deby Itno”, making clear their rejection of the CMT and demanding changes to the Transitional Charter. In addition to the main issues, several other groups have added their issues to the platform of the march to demand justice for various complaints that have not been resolved with the new regime.