Heavy gunfire has been heard in Chad’s capital N’Djamena following a deadly attack on the headquarters of the National Security Agency.

Several people were killed in the attack, the government says, blaming the opposition party, Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF).

PSF leader Yaya Dillo told AFP this was a “lie”.

The unrest comes a day after the announcement that Chad will hold presidential elections on 6 May.

Communication Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said the attack was led by Mr Dillo.

Mr Dillo denied this and said he wasn’t even present.

The opposition leader told AFP the accusations were intended “to prevent me, to physically eliminate me… to make me afraid so that I don’t go to the election”.

One of his colleagues gave Reuters news agency a different account of the incident.

The PSF general secretary said soldiers near the National Security Agency (ANSE) had opened fire at party members as they were trying to retrieve the body of their colleague, Ahmed Torabi.

The government says Mr Torabi had attempted to assassinate the president of the Supreme Court.

He was arrested, then shot dead on Tuesday and his body dumped outside the ANSE HQ, according to the PSF official.

Relatives and party members who tried to get the body were shot at, resulting in multiple fatalities, he said.

Mr Dillo has also denied any links to the assassination attempt, which he described as “staged” according to AFP.

The government said PSF members had been arrested over the attack on the ANSE HQ and will be prosecuted.

“Anyone looking to disturb the democratic process under way in the country will be prosecuted and brought to justice,” the government said in a statement quoted by AFP.

It is not clear if Mr Dillo was among those arrested, but in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, he said the military had come for him at his party headquarters.

N’Djamena residents reported hearing intense gunfire near the PSF headquarters on Wednesday. They also reported seeing several military vehicles heading there.

In addition to the unrest, internet connectivity has been disrupted in the country, according to internet watchdog Netblocks.

Mr Dillo is a vocal opponent of President Mahamat Déby and is also his cousin. Mr Déby came into power in 2021 after his father was killed by rebels after three decades in power.

President Déby promised to return the country to civilian rule – but delayed it for more than two years.

The election is supposed to mark the end of the political transition.

The Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) designated President Déby as its candidate for the upcoming elections, but he is yet to openly comment whether he’ll run.

Former colonial France has been backing Mr Déby since the start of the transition, raising eyebrows both in and out of the country. France currently has about 1,000 troops in Chad to fight jihadist groups across West Africa.

The opposition says the electoral commission is far from neutral and it fears an extension of the Déby dynasty. (BBC)

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