Chad – Police out in force despite being instructed not to repress protests
This morning’s protest by Wakit Tama was banned by the Minister of Public Security and Immigration, General Idriss Dokony Adiker. However, the minister also stated that he had been instructed to allow marches during the dialogue. His reason for prohibiting today’s march was that the request for the march was not submitted five days in advance.
It doesn’t seem like that would have caused any issues with securing the march, however. A strong security force was seen throughout N’Djamena last night. The apparent purpose of the show of force was to intimidate anyone who was planning to come out to protest the conditions of the National Inclusive Dialogue that starts tomorrow.
Despite the strong security presence, the minister asked the military and police to “act gently” towards the population. He called on the security forces to be professional and to “manage the situation in the most professional way possible”. It’s unclear what the results of the march will be at this point.