Holy Mass, Conviviality with Conflict Victims among Planned Prayer Day Activities in Chad

The Local Ordinary of Chad’s N’Djaména Archdiocese encourages “all initiatives that go in the direction of a spiritual deepening of this day and the possibility of finding a time of sharing or conviviality with the families that have suffered or with our brothers and sisters of different religious denominations.”

Tension has been high in Chad following the extension of the mandate of the President of the Transitional Council, Mahamat Idriss Déby.

In April 2021, President Idriss Déby Itno who had been at the helm of the country since 1990 died after succumbing to injuries reportedly from a battle with the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), a dissident army rebel group in the Northern part of the country.

Following his death, a transitional council of military officers led by Deby's son, Mahamat, as interim president, started overseeing Chad’s transition period for the next 18 months.

On October 8, Chad’s military leader, Mahamat, was named President of the transition following deliberations of the country’s National Inclusive Dialogue (DNI), RFI reported. 

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He was sworn in on October 10 as President of a two-year transitional period ahead of "democratic" elections, a move that sparked the October 20 protests.

On that day (October 20), security forces opened fire on protesters who were calling for a “quicker transition to democratic rule” in several cities across Chad, including N’Djamena, the capital, reportedly killing at least 50 people and injuring dozens of others, Reuters reported.

In a letter addressed to the President of Chad’s Transitional Council, Archbishop Djitangar expressed anger and indignation over the crackdown on peaceful protesters.

In his November 20 statement, CET President says he does not “recommend any gathering, group movement or organization outside of Parish spaces.”

“May this Eucharist be an opportunity to reflect before God on the current sufferings of Chadians and their causes and to beg the Lord to have mercy on us for our inability to accept each other and to manage our country together,” the 70-year-old Archbishop says in reference to one of the activities of the planned Prayer Day.

The Catholic Church leader who started his Episcopal Ministry in February 1992 as Bishop of Chad’s Sarh Diocese implores, “May the desire for peace in our hearts, in our families, in society and in the country be at the center of our prayers and initiatives.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.