Haroune Badawi lives in the Guinebor 2 district, in N’Djamena. Like other residents of the capital of Chad, he was surprised last night by the sounds of explosions and detonations. He tells DW about this restless night and the return to calm in the morning.
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Explosions began to ring out shortly before 11 p.m. At first, it was small explosions and later, it was loud donations that woke us up.
When we got up for the first intention, thought it was a gas store fire. It was later, with the detonations that we realized that they were weapons detonations.
As it was nighttime, everyone stayed holed up at home. There were still cases of people who panicked a little, who went out to get away from the place.
DW: Describe to us the Goudji district, where this fire took place?
Goudji is one of the old districts of the city of NN’Djamena, northeast of the airport. The camp borders the Goudji district on one side and the Guinebor 1 district on the other. I live in the Guinebor 2 district.
DW: And it’s a neighborhood where a lot of people live?
Yes, it is a neighborhood that is inhabited, but in the design of the camp, the camp is separated from the neighborhood by streets of 20 to 30 meters on all sides.
DW: This morning, President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno published a message to announce that an investigation would be opened. At the moment, there is no exact assessment. Have you heard of victims, of damage?
In the neighborhood around Guinebor 1 and Goudji, yes, there was a lot more material damage, due to vibrations, and also sometimes, to certain projectiles which fell into the concessions. But even though people are talking about death cases, the number has not yet been published.
DW:And this morning, in your neighborhood, in the neighboring neighborhoods, what was the atmosphere like?
There is a lull. Those who had left their compound returned, and then the government dispatched the police to patrol the camp and the surrounding neighborhood to prevent thieves from ransacking the stores.
To ensure the safety of the population, ambulances have been dispatched to all surrounding neighborhoods. People were starting to go about their activities normally. The situation is calm.
DW: Does that mean that businesses are open, markets are taking place, schools are also open?
Yes, schools are also open. I woke up a little late, but my children went to school.
