Background
On 6 May, Mahamat “Kaka” Déby was officially declared the winner of the presidential elections, bringing an end to the transitional period that began in April 2021 following the death of President Idriss Déby.
Floods affected several cities across the country, leading to the deaths of several hundred people and the displacement of thousands.
Conflicts between herders and farmers continued, in a context of increased pressure on natural resources aggravated by lack of grazing land in the north and population growth in the south.
Freedom of expression and assembly
The government repeatedly banned demonstrations, citing that protest against the rising cost of living was prohibited. In June, a ban was placed on a demonstration by graduates protesting that promises made to them of public sector jobs had not been honoured.
In March, the Union of Journalists of Chad released a statement to highlight increasing threats against journalists and urged the authorities to take action to ensure the safety of journalists and their families. This followed the murders on 1 March of journalist Idriss Yaya, his wife and his four-year-old son in the village of Djondjol, near Mangalmé. Idriss Yaya, who worked for a radio station in Mongo, had received multiple threats prior to his murder, likely linked to his reporting of escalating communal conflicts in the region. On 2 March, nine people were arrested in connection with the murders.
On 7 August, Badour Oumar Ali, editor-in-chief of Chad’s leading news website Tchadinfos.com, was arrested by armed and masked men and taken to the headquarters of the National Security Agency. He was released without charge after 24 hours in detention. The incident was part of a broader trend of harassment and intimidation of the media, and followed a temporary suspension of the website at the end of July.
In September, Reed Brody, a Hungarian-American human rights lawyer renowned for his work in support of victims of repression during Hissène Habré’s presidency, was arrested and expelled from Chad. He was expelled just before attending a conference calling for payment by the state of full damages to victims of the former regime, where he was to launch his book on bringing Hissène Habré to justice.
Right to truth, justice and reparations
In February, opposition leader Yaya Dillo was shot dead during an assault by security forces on the headquarters of his party, the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF). The shooting followed accusations that his supporters had attacked the National Security Agency and attempted to assassinate the president of the Supreme Court. Transitional prime minister Succès Masra announced the launch of an international commission of inquiry to determine responsibility for Dillo’s death. However, the investigation had made no progress by year’s end.
Right to a fair trial
Following the death of Yaya Dillo (see above), 25 of his relatives, also PSF activists, including three under the age of 18, were detained for five months without being brought before a judge. They were held in the high-security prison of Koro Toro, 600km from N’Djamena where they had been based, with no access to legal representation or medical care.1
During mobile court hearings in Koro Toro prison from 2 to 4 July, 10 were acquitted due to lack of evidence but not released, while 14 were sentenced to 10 years in prison. One remained in detention in N’Djamena without being charged. On 23 September, the party’s secretary-general was also arrested in N’Djamena. In November and December, all the detainees except for the secretary-general were released, with no explanations given.
Detainees’ rights
In August, Human Rights Watch released a report highlighting severe human rights violations arising from the detention of individuals arrested during protests in N’Djamena in October 2022. Former detainees described their harrowing journey to Koro Toro prison, experiencing overcrowded transport conditions and severe dehydration as well as inhumane treatment, including beatings and lack of medical care once at the prison.
Women’s and girls’ rights
According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for 2024, Chad ranked 144th out of 146 countries on gender equality. The Women’s Associations’ Liaison and Information Unit reported in June that the difficulty women faced in accessing land, particularly in the context of inheritance, contributed to entrenching inequalities.
The United Nations Population Fund recorded 1,310 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in Chad between January and June, and 794 between July and September. The cases mostly involved physical and psychological violence, but there were also significant numbers involving denial of resources, sexual assault, rape and forced marriage. Organizations working in the field emphasized that the actual numbers were likely to be higher due to unreported cases.
Economic, social and cultural rights
The rising cost of living stoked widespread discontent. In response, the authorities implemented measures to support the most vulnerable. On 11 March, two months before the presidential elections and coinciding with the start of Ramadan, the government announced free water and electricity until the end of the year, covering up to 300 kilowatt hours per household per month. The announcement, which came amid ongoing power shortages in many neighbourhoods, was matched by 50% reductions in transportation taxes.
In September, Action Against Hunger reported that at least 3.4 million people in Chad were experiencing critical food insecurity. These included some 620,000 refugees from the conflict in Sudan. OCHA found that only 50% of the USD 1.12 billion funding requirement for humanitarian relief was being met.
