A leading critic of Chadian military leader Mahamat Deby has been killed in a gunfight with security forces, officials have announced.
Yaya Dilo’s death came after the government accused him of deadly attacks on the country’s security services. He denied the charges.
On Wednesday, heavy gunfire was heard near the party’s headquarters in the capital N’Djamena.
Mr Dilo is also the cousin of President Deby, who has been in power since 2021.
Mr Deby was appointed by the military to succeed his father, who was killed by rebels after 30 years in power.
Riots have broken out in the Central African country following the announcement of the May 6 presidential election.
These elections are aimed at returning the country to constitutional governance.
Before his death, Mr Dilo was widely considered to be his cousin’s main opponent in the election.
He was the leader of the Party Without Borders (PSF).
Communications Minister Abderrahmane Kouramala told AFP that Mr Dilo died on Wednesday in a “secluded area of the party headquarters”. He did not want to surrender and fired at the police.
Twelve other people were killed in the shooting, authorities said.Mobile phone and internet networks in Chad have been down since a reported attack on the National Security Agency (ANSE) headquarters. N’Djamena-based journalist Amaury Hunard told the BBC on Thursday night: “People didn’t have access to the internet for 24 hours. Only a few hotels had access.” Mr Dilo questioned whether the elections could be held as planned.On Wednesday, Dillo said the accusations of being behind the ANSE attack were aimed at “scaring me not to vote.”The PSF disputed the government’s account and said those who were attacked were its members.The party’s general secretary told Reuters that soldiers attacked him as he tried to retrieve the body of his colleague Ahmed Torabi.
Torabi was arrested and shot dead on Tuesday, and his body was dumped outside the ANSE building, the PSF said.The government had accused Mr. Torabi of attempting to assassinate the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.This was not Mr Dilo’s first violent encounter with security forces.The PSF announced that state forces killed Dilo’s mother, son, and three others while running for president in the 2021 election against Idriss Deby, the father of the current president.The party said the attackers tried to arrest Mr Dilo.At the time, the government disputed the PSF death toll, saying three people had died.