AFRICA/CHAD - Explosion in the capital's largest weapons depot: number of victims still unknown

N'Djamena (Agenzia Fides) - "We were awakened yesterday evening around 11 p.m. by a huge explosion," an observer from church circles in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, told Fides. "The first loud explosion was followed by a series of other, less loud explosions and a large fire that could be seen from several kilometers away.
The weapons depot in Goudji, not far from the capital's airport, belongs to the Direction de la Réserve stratégique (DGRS), an elite army unit responsible for managing ammunition reserves. "The authorities have not yet announced the number of dead, but there are certainly dead and injured," the observer suspects. President Mahamat Deby Itno posted a message on Facebook announcing that a fire at the strategic reserve ammunition depot had caused deaths and property damage, without giving further details, and concluded by saying: "Peace to the souls of the victims, sincere condolences to the bereaved families and speedy recovery to the injured." "At the moment, there is no official statement on the cause of the explosion. In our opinion, it could be an accident like the one that occurred a few years ago in an ammunition depot," says the observer. The main explosion, which was followed by other explosions for at least two hours, sent several howitzers and unexploded artillery shells flying into the surrounding areas, posing a danger to the civilian population, who were asked by the authorities not to touch the equipment. Some of these shells also reportedly hit houses.
The arsenal in Goudji, commonly called the "powder keg", is the army's main storage facility for heavy weapons and ammunition in N'Djamena. It is located near important garrisons and the army headquarters, the "Hassan Djamous" international airport and the "Adji Kosseï" military base, which hosts the French contingent in Chad. The explosion of the "Powder Keg" occurs after President Mahamat Deby Itno was re-elected in May (see Fides, 10/5/2024). The re-election was preceded by the assassination of opposition leader Yaya Dillo (see Fides, 5/3/2024). Chad, which hosts French troops and US special forces, has recently moved closer to Russia. The government in N'Djamena is also accused of supporting the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their conflict against the regular army in Khartoum. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 19/6/2024)

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