By CISA
N’DJAMENA, JUNE 6, 2023 (CISA)- The Catholic bishops in Chad have chastised the transitional government of General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno of poor governance and desperation to remain in power, a situation they say has led to rising insecurity and high cost of living in the country.
“Should Chadians be impoverished, starved and deprived of any capacity to resist in order to govern them?” they quipped, adding that “The blood and tears of Chadians have flowed enough, and it must stop”
The bishops accused the government of keeping the Chadian people in a state of excruciating poverty, citing various shortages, particularly of fuel and basic necessities. The intention of choking off these supplies, the bishops suggested, is to deprive the people of any power to stand up to tyranny.
“The destruction of all possibilities for formal and informal economic activity, the slowdown or even stoppage of essential service sectors and youth unemployment are plunging the entire country into a situation of widespread impoverishment,” they said.
They noted that the shortage of petroleum products and its consequences on all sectors of the lives of individuals and institutions are incomprehensible for an oil-producing country.
“Let us strive to practice justice and the law, and to seek peace, security, and well-being for all, refusing to compromise ourselves in practices that are commonplace in our country: Nepotism, corruption, and all forms of exclusion,” said the prelates.
“Our country has suffered too much from practices that are destructive to the fabric and social relations. The time has come for us to realize that God will sooner or later do justice to the poor, and restore their scorned dignity,” the bishops’ statement said.
They postulated that if the government fails to act impartially, it could be accused of “using terror as a means of governing, maintaining or retaining power.”
“Whether they are the result of inter-community conflict or the brutality of the defense and security forces, all these crimes are attributable to public authorities and poor governance of the conflicts,” the bishops’ conference said, as reported by CRUX.
“The list of bloody conflicts and victims of swords, arrows, spears, and bullets is long and horrific,” stated the bishops.
Chad has been beset by violence in recent months. On May 8, at least 17 people were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked the village of Dion located in the East Logon Province of Chad that borders the Central African Republic, around 500 kilometres south of N’Djamena, the national capital.
Recent violence and clashes between herders and cattle breeders have also been witnessed in Bahr Sara, 370 miles south-east of N’Djamena, which left scores of people dead.
