French military facility is reportedly under attack by protesters – media

Following the death of a local soldier by a foreign physician, there are reports of protests in the streets of Chad.

According to local media sites, protesters attempted to enter a French military base in the nation of Chad in north-central Africa on Wednesday. The Chadian military manning the site have reportedly fired bullets to clear the gathering, according to the Russian news source RIA-Novosti.

The death of a Chadian soldier on Tuesday within a French military installation in the northern town of Faya-Largeau sparked indignation, according to a report by Alwihda Info.

A senior official in the Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti region who shall remain nameless said that a Chadian serviceman had arrived at the base for medical attention. He allegedly grabbed a scalpel while being treated, injuring the French military doctor, who then reached for his revolver and “neutralised” the attacker, according to the official.

He stated that the Chadian and French forces have begun a joint investigation into the event.

According to a French diplomatic source who spoke to Alwihda Info, the doctor was seriously injured after being stabbed three times and had trouble responding to questions from the authorities. According to him, the Chadian soldier was shot and killed immediately.

The unidentified diplomat further asserted that as word of the incident spread, locals attempted to overrun the French base at least twice but were unsuccessful.

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Chadian political analyst Evariste Ngarlem Tolde told RIA-Novosti that there had been tumultuous protests in Faya-Largeau, adding that the Chadian soldiers manning the French facility had fired live rounds to disperse the enraged mob. However, he was unaware of any information regarding potential fatalities or injuries.

The expert added that the National Assembly of Chad lawmakers who came at the scene asked that some 1,000 French troops leave the nation. According to Tolde, the MPs said that “they couldn’t understand how the French military could kill a Chadian on Chadian territory.”

He cautioned that there is still a lot of unrest in Faya-Largeau and there is a chance that the demonstrations against the French military deployment would extend to other parts of the nation.

Following the military’s ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum in late July, another former French colony, Niger, has requested that Paris withdraw its soldiers from the nation. Ali Lamine Zeine, the country’s new prime minister, declared on Monday that French military were still present in Niger “illegally” and that “talks are underway, which should allow for a swift withdrawal.”