Overview

• A group of 24 attackers armed with knives and machetes stormed Chad's presidential palace in N'Djamena on Wednesday evening, resulting in 19 deaths, including 18 assailants and one guard.
• The Chadian government stated the attackers were likely intoxicated individuals from a poor neighborhood, dismissing initial claims of terrorism or links to Boko Haram.
• President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno was inside the palace during the attack, which occurred shortly after his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
• The incident follows Chad's recent termination of a decades-long military agreement with France and ongoing political tensions after controversial elections boycotted by opposition groups.
• Critics and observers have raised concerns over the ease of access the attackers had to the presidential compound, pointing to potential security lapses and broader instability in the region.