Chad announces several deaths after foiled intelligence office attack
Al JazeeraFeb 27
Chad: Opposition Leader Killed in Gun Fight
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The Facts
The leader of Chad's opposition Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF), Yaya Dillo, was killed during a gun battle involving security forces near the party's headquarters in the capital N'Djamena.
This follows separately reported gun fights on Wednesday in which the government claims members of the PSF opened fire on the national security agency, adding that a member of PSF, Ahmed Torabi, tried to assassinate the head of the Supreme Court.
The Spin
Narrative A
Due to violent outbursts from members of the PSF, the past few days have been tragic for the people of Chad. Yaya Dillo led an attempted coup against the security agency, which resulted in soldiers returning fire and ending his life along with those of his fellow militants.
Narrative B
This was not a coup attempt by the PSF but rather Pres. Déby's latest attack on his political opponents. Weeks before this tragedy, Déby's intelligence forces and riot police surrounded the home of another opposition candidate and arrested him. If this was a coup, it was a coup against democracy in Chad.