Six Months After Killings, No Investigation as Medical Bills for Injured Mount
- Victims and survivors of celebratory shootings by Chad's security forces, that killed at least 11 people on May 9, 2024, are still awaiting justice six months later.
- In response to an announcement that the then-transitional president had won the presidential election, his loyal forces opened fire over cities and towns in what some described as threatening rather than celebratory.
- The government should urgently investigate the events of May 9 and prosecute those found responsible, and the victims should be fully supported medically and financially by the government.
(Nairobi) -Victims and survivors of celebratory shootings by Chad's security forces, which killed at least 11 people on May 9, 2024, are still awaiting justice six months later, Human Rights Watch and the Observatory for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Observatoire pour la promotion et la défense des droits humains, OPDH) said today.
Several hundred more were injured as security forces shot into the air to celebrate an announcement that the then-transitional president, Gen. Mahamat Idriss Déby, was the provisional winner of the presidential election. Chadian authorities should take swift action to hold those responsible accountable and to ensure that victims are compensated.
"The transition in Chad came to a tragic end on May 9, when forces from the police and army loyal to the then-transitional president opened fire over cities and towns, terrifying the population, killing innocent people, and maiming hundreds," said Mahamat Zene Oumar Abdelaziz, the president of the OPDH. "The government of Chad should urgently open an investigation to identify which units participated in the shooting and ensure redress for the injured."
The shootings began around 9 p.m. after the National Election Management Agency (Agence nationale de gestion des élections), citing provisional results, announced that Déby had won the May 6 election. His main challenger, then-Prime Minister Succès Masra, declared himself the winner in a separate announcement on social media.
Human Rights Watch and OPDH interviewed 27 witnesses and survivors between July 29 and August 7, including people injured by stray bullets and family members of those killed. The organizations also interviewed government officials and Chadian civil society activists.
Those injured by the gunfire spoke of terror over cities and towns across Chad after the provisional results were announced over the radio and security services began shooting in celebration. One woman, from the Gassi neighborhood in N'Djamena, the capital, said: "We were listening to the news over the radio at a friend's house. All of a sudden, there was shooting coming from everywhere." Bullets from the shooting in N'Djamena injured at least three people, including two children, in Kousseri, Cameroon.
Another person who was injured in Moundou, a town in southern Chad, said : "The soldiers were on every street, at every crossroads and intersection. They were shooting about 500 meters away from me and they were shooting in the air and in any direction they wanted."
While celebratory gunfire in Chad is common after marriages or other significant events, the shooting on May 9 was different, with large caliber weapons and rockets fired into the air. A civil society activist told Human Rights Watch: "The shooting was not to celebrate but to intimidate. It was a warning for us to not dare to protest, like we had in 2022."
The organizations spoke with two people whose homes were hit by rockets and visited one of the homes in N'Djamena. People in both homes showed the organizations photos of the rockets that hit their homes. Dozens of witnesses said that the military were firing their weapons, something which the organizations also saw in videos they reviewed, including one posted on May 9, that shows soldiers wearing Chadian military uniforms firing an autocannon mounted in the bed of a truck. While Human Rights Watch was not able to geolocate this video, it was shot in N'Djamena, and they were able to confirm it did not exist before May 9.
The organizations confirmed six cases of killings in N'Djamena and heard reliable accounts of several others who were killed. A government official said at least 11 people were killed and that it could have been more. The mother of a 2-year-old girl, Safia Imam, who was killed in N'Djamena's Naga neighborhood, said: "We were laying down a mat in the house. I was with my husband, and we had our two kids with us. There was noise all around and suddenly Safia was hit. The bullet came through the house ... I lost my daughter. I am still in shock."
In the hours and days that followed the shooting, hundreds of people across Chad sought hospital care. Dozens of injured said that the health minister had announced over the radio that medical fees would be waived for anyone injured by the celebratory shooting. However, at least 14 people said that they had to pay some or all of their medical bills, in some instances straining an already difficult financial situation. Some still owe hundreds of dollars in medical fees. The government should promptly and adequately reimburse those who paid for medical services and subsequent treatment, the organizations said.
On August 5, Human Rights Watch met with the defense minister, who said that civilians fired the shots and that people, including soldiers, had a right to celebrate. On August 6, the justice minister told Human Rights Watch: "No cases or civil cases have been filed, so what can we do? We don't know about people killed or injured. The first thing would be for the victims to make a case and then we would investigate. But who would the prosecutor file a complaint against?"
Chadian security forces need to be held fully accountable for these serious violations of the rights to life, bodily integrity, and security of Chadians, among other rights, the organizations said. There was absolutely no justification for the use of weapons that occurred on May 9, and international legal norms are clear on the rules for law enforcement using lethal force, whether military or police, and the obligation to ensure an effective investigation and appropriate punishment for violations and remedy including compensation for victims.
On October 4, Human Rights Watch wrote to the justice and health ministers to share research findings, and seek clarification on the number of people killed or injured and on government actions to support the victims. The same day, Human Rights Watch also sent a separate correspondence to the justice minister asking if an investigation would be opened. Several other officials were copied. There has been no official response to either letter at time of publication.
The Chadian authorities should open an investigation into those responsible for the May 9 killings and provide compensation to victims. The authorities should also ensure that all security forces receive adequate training, appropriate equipment, and oversight, the organizations said. The Chadian government should seek international support to ensure that its security forces abide by regional and international standards on the use of firearms.
"The government should urgently investigate the events of May 9 and prosecute those found to be responsible," said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Out of respect for the victims, the truth should be revealed and those injured who are still suffering the consequences should be fully supported medically and financially by the government."
For more reporting on the May 9, 2024, shootings, please see below.
Ahead of the Shootings
The period before Chad's May 6 presidential elections was marred by violence. On February 28, security forces killed Yaya Dillo, the president of the Socialist Party Without Borders (Parti socialiste sans frontières), during an attack on the party's headquarters in N'Djamena. The state prosecutor, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye, said at a news conference that Dillo was killed during an exchange of gunfire with security forces.
However, Human Rights Watch reviewed several photos sent by a reliable source close to Dillo, showing him dead with a single bullet wound to his head and a Reuters investigation concluded that he was most likely shot at point blank range.
The presidential elections result was contested by Succès Masra, Gen. Mahamat Idriss Déby's main opponent. Déby was sworn in on May 23, ending the transition that started in 2021 after his father, then-President Idriss Déby Itno, died fighting against an armed group.
May 9 Shootings
In the hours before the provisional results were announced, soldiers and police were deployed in key positions across the country. A resident of Moundou, southern Chad, said: "The soldiers were on every street, at every crossroads." A civil society leader in N'Djamena said: "The military started to take their positions around 3 p.m., with their weapons in place. They were at all the major roads, bridges, and crossroads."
The provisional election results were announced around 9 p.m. over the radio. While many witnesses and victims said that they anticipated shooting, they said this was different from what happened after previous election results' announcements. Witnesses said the shooting was "intense" and that it "seemed to come from everywhere." One victim said: "Once it started it was not celebratory shooting but shooting to terrorize."
Several people died or were injured after being struck. Some bullets landed harmlessly or lodged in roofs or other properties across N'Djamena. However, in neighborhoods with high population densities, bullets hit human beings, often piercing the roof of a home or structure.
The injured described a deep sense of injustice that they were shot in such a senseless and arbitrary fashion. "I was just at my home and was shot by a bullet," one woman who was injured said. "I had not done anything. I am lucky that I was only injured. It could have been worse, but when the bullets are falling like that how can you protect yourself?"
The husband of 32-year-old Khadidja Douba, who was killed in N'Djamena's Senegalese neighborhood, said:
My wife was hit with shrapnel in the head and neck. We were all sitting in the living room and a rocket hit the house. We don't know where the rocket came from, but the shooting was all over and close by to the house. The authorities gave me 950,000 CFA francs (about US$1,550) for the loss, but since then nothing. They asked us our ethnic group and gave us the money, but they did not say they were sorry. The kids ask every day for their mother, even I am traumatized by what happened.
A Human Rights Watch researcher visited the man's home and documented the damage caused by the rocket-propelled grenade.
A witness who was sitting next to a woman named Mantchoko, who was also killed in N'Djamena's Senegalese neighborhood, said:
I was just outside the house listening to shots when she was shot in the chest just over 10 feet in front of me. Mantchoko was just laying down and talking to her sister on the phone. She died here on the spot, but we later brought her to the hospital. She was buried two days later.
The father of a 3-year-old boy said that his son was killed in the Klemat neighborhood in N'Djamena while asleep outside with his mother and siblings under a mosquito net:
I was washing myself when I was told to come quickly so I ran over. There was a bullet in his back. There was no roof there, so the bullet just hit him. He was hit in the back with two bullets. He was already vomiting blood when I ran up to him. We brought him to the hospital and they said there was no bullet inside him, so we were sent home at midnight with the child. The next day around 9 a.m. we gave him milk, but he wouldn't take it. He got really hot, so we took him back to the hospital where they gave him oxygen. They said they wanted to do a scan. He stayed in bed and on oxygen until he died. We buried him the same day.
The organizations saw x-rays from six people who had bullets lodged in their bodies. Three of the people had not yet had the bullets removed at the time of interview in August.
One woman from N'Djamena's Gassi neighborhood said:
At first a bullet fell right next to me and I thought, 'What was that?' Then I was hit. There was so much shooting, it was coming from everywhere. I screamed, 'I've been shot!' but I had to stay at home because it was too dangerous to go outside. I bled out for an hour. The next day I went to the central hospital.
A 15-year-old girl from Bebedjia, a town in Logone Oriental province, said:
I went into my room because of the shooting. After a few minutes a bullet came through the roof and hit me on the head. It was bleeding a lot ... The bullet is still in my head and the doctors say we have to wait. It makes me very scared.
The mother of a 4-year-old boy from Blabline neighborhood in N'Djamena said that she and her son were asleep in a bed when the shooting started. She said that around 10 p.m. she noticed blood on the bed and realized that her son had been struck by a bullet:
When we saw the blood we took him to the hospital, it was around 10:45 p.m. when we arrived. They made us pay 7,000 CFA (about $12) for the x-ray and told us to go home. We had to go back to the hospital four times and had to pay each time. The family is in shock that this could happen. We were scared that he would die ... The child won't sleep in the same room where he was shot. He is traumatized.
The mother of a 13-year-old girl shot in Morsal neighborhood in N'Djamena said that she thought the sounds of bullets piercing her roof were small stones:
I was outside when we heard the noises, but we thought it was a kid just causing trouble. But then [my daughter] screamed. She had been shot in the hip. We got a pharmacist to come to the house because it was bleeding so much, but we could not risk going to the hospital until after midnight because the shooting was too bad.
An 18-year-old woman from Mongo, in eastern Chad, said she was nine months pregnant when she was struck by a bullet while trying to sleep. The bullet when through her roof and struck her in the right lower leg.
Medical Costs
Authorities around Chad unofficially compensated some family members of victims who had been killed. Family members who received compensation said that men in civilian clothes came to their homes and gave them money for "their sacrifice." The sum for most families was 1,000,000 Central African Francs (CFA), or about US$1,600.
"The life of my son was worth more than 1,000,000 CFA," the mother of one victim said.
The mother of a 12-month-old baby from Angabo Chateau neighborhood, north of N'Djamena, said: "Even a large sack of money could not make up for the life of my son. I want accountability for my son's death."
At least five families received money, however, at least one family did not receive any money.
Those injured from the celebratory gunfire, including those who still have bullets in their bodies, said that they were disappointed by the lack of medical support from the authorities. They said that the health minister announced on several occasions that medical bills were to be waived.
In some instances, those injured have paid a minimal amount for medical services. However, 14 people said they have spent between 5,000 CFA (about $8) and 400,000 CFA (about $660) on treatment. A 25-year-old student who was struck by a bullet outside his home in N'Djamena's Rue de 30 Mètres neighborhood said:
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I had to have surgery to get the bullet out of my arm. I paid for everything, for the X-ray and for the medicine. I paid at least 100,000 CFA (about $165). When I asked at the hospital I was told, "No, you have to pay for the anesthetic, the bandages, everything."
A 36-year-old woman from the Gassi neighborhood in N'Djamena said she had to return to the hospital after few days because the injury to her side caused by a bullet was too intense:
I asked for some medicine because I was still in pain. A hospital administrator said, 'No, it is not true that the care is free, you have to pay. We're not giving you free treatment and you don't even have a bullet in you anymore, so you don't need anything. It was removed so you are fine.' When I said that I was buying medicine, I was told, 'That's not my business' by the administrator so I had to pay myself.
In some cases, those injured are forgoing care to raise enough money to pay for anticipated medical expenses. A 45-year-old woman from N'Djamena, who still has a bullet in her arm, said: "First I need to raise the money for a blood test, then I will have to pay for a surgery."In some cases, those injured are forgoing care to raise enough money to pay for anticipated medical expenses. A 45-year-old woman from N'Djamena, who still has a bullet in her arm, said: "First I need to raise the money for a blood test, then I will have to pay for a surgery."
A Cover Up
Efforts to cover up the serious and fatal violations that occurred on May 9 began early on. On May 10, the health ministry issued a communiqué forbidding anyone from publishing statistics relative to the number of people killed or injured during the May 9 shootings. The communiqué also forbade anyone from entering hospitals to ask questions about the shootings or take photos.
In contrast to the response to the May 9 shootings, in response to a June 18 explosion at a military munitions depot in N'Djamena, the Ministry of Social Action, Solidarity, and Humanitarian Affairs issued an in-depth report outlining the number of dead and injured and the location of households that had been affected. Yet, in the final line of the report, the government calls for assistance to those affected by "the explosion ... and the celebratory shooting."
International Standards on Lethal Force
Chad is a party to a number of international human rights treaties including the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Its international legal obligations deriving from those treaties and other sources include respect for the rights to life, bodily integrity, to liberty and security of the person, inviolability of the home, and the right to a remedy, among other rights.
Upholding those obligations requires it to implement laws to prevent and deter unlawful use of weapons including by its military and police, and to ensure those deployed for law enforcement, whether drawn from military or police units, are fully trained in and comply with standards on the use of firearms as set out in the United Nations' Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.
These standards prohibit the use of firearms unless necessary for self-defense or the defense of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury, when less extreme means are insufficient. When individuals are killed or injured, or property damaged, by law enforcement's use of firearms, Chad has an obligation to conduct an effective investigation, meaning prompt, independent, public, and capable of identifying wrongdoing and those responsible. It also has an obligation to provide victims with an effective remedy including adequate compensation; and to take steps to prevent reoccurrence including punishing those responsible and implementing other appropriate measures such as improving applicable regulations and providing oversight or training.
