A look back at the violence that erupted overnight from Friday to Saturday in the Kouri Bougoudi region, in the far north of the country, near the Libyan border.
Several videos that had circulated on social media announced hundreds of deaths in what was described as “ intercommunal violence “. The Minister of National Defense of Chad, dispatched on the spot with a strong delegation to investigate what had happened and try to restore calm, denies this version and assures that things are getting back to normal.
General Daoud Yaya Brahim arrived in Kouri Bougoudi since Sunday. He assures today that peace and calm have been restored by the police since Wednesday evening. And contrary to what is said on social networks, it was in no way intercommunity violence, according to him.
General Daoud Yaya Brahim gives us his version of the facts and the official assessment of this violence. ” Things started between two individuals, two friends from the same group, it was not an intercommunal confrontation as people say. There were a hundred dead and forty wounded. Twenty people have been arrested and will have to answer for their actions in court. »
Gold miners sent back to their province
According to the Chadian Defense Minister, the toll has been increased by the intervention of ” terrorists from Libya, who would be behind the clandestine gold panning on this site of Kouri 35, 45 km from the common border.
In the meantime, he says he has taken steps to bring full security to the region. ” First the suspension of this mining site, the suspension of gold mining, the eviction of all gold miners to their province of origin. We are transporting them with our military equipment “, he details.
Other nationalities, Mauritanian, Libyan, Nigerian and Moroccan were represented among the 3 to 4000 gold washers who exploited this site. These were sent to Libya at their request, announced General Daoud Yaya Brahim.