Chad: Celebration Leaves 8 Dead

A representative from Amnesty International reported that "several people were injured and possibly others killed in gunfire during the celebrations following the announcement of the victory of Chad's interim president, Mahamat Idriss Déby, in the elections on Thursday." Abdullah Diara, a researcher at Amnesty International, said in a media interview: "Deaths and gunshot injuries have been reported... the exact number of victims is unknown, but there are talks about around ten dead, including children." The celebrations, which were marred by chaos, followed a tense electoral period in which opposition figure Yaya Dillo was killed and prominent opposition politicians were excluded from the candidate list, among other events that critics say undermined the credibility of the elections. Gunfire could be heard in the capital N'Djamena overnight after the electoral authority announced Déby's victory with a large majority of 61.3 percent in the vote held on May 6, and Déby's main rival rejected the results, calling for protests.