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Outrage in Chad after soldier killed by French nurse

French troops are deployed there as part of anti-terror operations in the region.

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by The Star

News07 September 2023 - 15:42
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In Summary


• He had reportedly gone to the Faya-Largeau base in the north of the country seeking medical treatment on Tuesday.

• According to Chadian and French officials, the soldier then attacked a nurse with a scalpel.

Chadian and French officials have launched a joint investigation into the incident at the Faya-Largeau base

Angry protesters in Chad tried to storm a French military base over the fatal shooting of a local soldier.

He had reportedly gone to the Faya-Largeau base in the north of the country seeking medical treatment on Tuesday.

French troops are deployed there as part of anti-terror operations in the region.

According to Chadian and French officials, the soldier then attacked a nurse with a scalpel.

"A Chadian soldier who was not in a normal state went to the French army base to get bandaged, picked up a scalpel and wounded a French military nurse," General Ali Maide Kebir, the region’s governor, told the AFP news agency.

"The nurse used his firearm and killed him," he said.

A senior officer with French forces told AFP that the military nurse reacted in self-defence.

"We don't know the reasons for the attack. The nurse received three scalpel blows to the throat, head and neck but his condition has stabilised,” he said.

The Chadian and French militaries have launched joint investigations into the incident.

But the news has upset the local community, triggering the protests outside the base. Chadian soldiers guarding the base prevented the demonstrators from getting inside.