Hundreds of protesters called on by the opposition took to the capital N’Djamena after Chad’s ruling party on Saturday endorsed Idriss Deby for a sixth term in the April 11 election.
According to reports, police fired teargas and protesters burned tires while chanting “No to a sixth term!”
Deby has been in power for 30 years, and this development could see him stay for even longer. It was made possible after he pushed through a new constitution in 2018- allowing him to run again.
The 68-year-old former army officer was voted in, in 1990 after he ousted the autocratic leader Hissene Habre.
Deby has been accused of trying to create a monarchy as he closely controls the media and institutions.
But the international community sees him as an essential ally in the fight against Islamist militants in West and Central Africa and one of the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.
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