Chad’s online news organizations expressed alarm on Monday over new media control measures introduced by authorities just two months before elections. The Association of Chad’s Online Media (AMET) stated that these actions indicate a desire to restrict the activities of online media.
Abderamane Barka, head of the High Authority for Audiovisual Media (HAMA), announced last week that any private newspaper—whether printed or online—that broadcasts sound or audiovisual content will face publication suspension. He emphasized that private media must restrict their output to written articles.
Barka also addressed the use of Facebook, stating that private media outlets must publish only “original content” on these platforms. He urged for a “continued clean-up of the Chadian media landscape” at a seminar with press representatives.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, known by its French initials RSF, condemned the new regulations as a “groundless decision” threatening media pluralism. AMET echoed these sentiments in a statement, voicing concerns that the measures exceed the existing legal framework.
These developments occur amid an environment of increasing restrictions on press freedom in Chad. The country has been under the leadership of Mahamat Deby since he was named head of state by the army in April 2021. This was following the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, during a rebel attack.
Deby won presidential elections in May that faced an opposition boycott. International observers reported that these elections lacked credibility. Chad is set to hold parliamentary and local elections on December 29.
The killing of a former intelligence commander and his son by unidentified assailants led to an official order to secure the capital, N’Djamena. Authorities announced “systematic searches” for weapons, deploying heavily armed soldiers in the city.
On Saturday, state television reported a slight government reshuffle, including the replacement of the security minister. Opposition parties have declared their intention to boycott the December elections, citing a “harmful climate of dictatorship and terror.”
