The headquarters of the National Office of Audio-visual Media (ONAMA) in N’Djaména, Chad; Photo by Jean Sovon, used with permission.
With less than two months to go before the presidential elections on May 6, 2024, journalists are facing death threats in Chad, a country where press freedom and freedom of expression are still at risk.
In 2023, Chad ranked 109th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom index. Journalists in the country face threats and restrictions when covering sensitive topics, particularly under the transitional authority led by Mahamat Idriss Deby, who has been the president of the transition since April 2021 following the death of former president Idriss Déby.
Chad has two official languages, French and Arabic. Although both languages are used in the media, French remains the most widely used by media professionals. The country also boasts around 150 spoken languages among its population of over 18 million inhabitants.
As per Data Reportal’s January 2023 statistics, around a quarter of Chad’s population resides in urban areas, with the remaining majority living in rural regions. Mobile phones are the primary means of accessing information for most individuals.
Threats and suspensions
Violence against journalists is a common occurrence in the country. The murder of Idriss Yaya, a journalist for Radio Communautaire de Mongo, along with his entire family on March 1, 2024, is a chilling reminder of the dangers that journalists face in Chad.
Reacting to this assassination, Serge Manassé Gotingar, Secretary General of the Union of Journalists of Chad (UJT), spoke to Radio France Internationale and declared:
Nous sommes confrontés à des situations de menaces et d’insécurité un peu partout dans nos déplacements. Nous avons toujours appelé les autorités à protéger les journalistes et a assuré leur sécurité à eux et leurs familles
We are constantly dealing with threats and insecurity during our travels. We have repeatedly urged the authorities to provide protection for journalists and ensure their safety, as well as that of their families.
In an article published on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) website, Sadibou Marong, Director of the RSF Sub-Saharan Africa desk, added:
L’assassinat du journaliste Idriss Yaya et de sa famille rappelle cruellement les terribles dangers auxquels les professionnels des médias sont confrontés dans les régions du sud, mais aussi du centre du Tchad, où sévissent de fréquents conflits intercommunautaires. Les journalistes de ces régions sont régulièrement visés par des attaques physiques. Cette fois, le pire s’est produit.
The murder of journalist Idriss Yaya and his family is a stark reminder of the severe dangers that media professionals face in the southern and central regions of Chad, where intercommunal conflicts are frequent. Journalists in these regions are often the victims of physical attacks, and this time, the worst has happened.
Marong urges the transitional authorities to take responsibility:
Il est crucial que l'enquête aboutisse rapidement à l'identification des responsabilités et au jugement de tous les responsables de ce crime odieux. Nous appelons également les autorités à prendre des mesures fortes pour protéger les journalistes exerçant dans ces zones difficiles.
It is crucial that the investigation quickly lead to the identification of those responsible and the prosecution of all those involved in this heinous crime. We also call on the authorities to take strong measures to protect journalists working in these difficult areas.
Read more in French: In Chad, death of Yaya Dillo Djérou, main opponent to the military power in place
Article 28 of the Chadian constitution theoretically guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of the press, stating that:
Les libertés d'opinion et d'expression, de communication,
de conscience, de religion, de presse, d'association, de réunion, de circulation, de manifestations sont garanties à tous.
Freedom of opinion and expression, communication, conscience, religion, press, association, assembly, movement, and demonstration are guaranteed to all.
At the institutional level, the Media and Audio-visual High Authority (HAMA) is the body responsible for regulating the functioning of the media and protecting journalism, but the reality is often quite different.
In August 2023, the online newspaper Alwihda Info was suspended for eight days by the HAMA. The reason given was the publication of articles about public figures: one article on the dismissal of a high-ranking officer, and another article on the president of the transition. Press organizations condemned this suspension.
Media plurality
In Chad, state media grouped under the National Office of Audio-visual Media (ONAMA) do not have a monopoly on information. In addition to these national media, the landscape is composed of four private television channels and about sixty private radio stations with diverse vocations: community and associative radios such as FM Liberté, which has an editorial line focused on defending human rights; private confessional radios (more than 55 percent of Chadians are Muslim, and more than 40 percent are Christian); and commercial radios. As for the printed press, twenty-four French-language newspapers and ten Arabic-language newspapers contribute to the dissemination of information among the Chadian population.
In terms of online press, media outlets such as Ialtchad, Lepayschtad, Alwihda info, Tchadinfos, Le N’djam Post, Toumai web médias, Tchad-culture, Bandeinfo, and Ndjamenahebdo cover the cultural, sports, political, and economic news of the country.
Outside of the country, several international media outlets cover Chadian news, for instanceJeune Afrique, Afriquexxi, ApaNews, Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, Voice of America, France 24, BBC Afrique, The Conversation, Al Jazeera, and Africanews.
Online presence
Data Reportal’s 2023 report indicates that the internet penetration rate in Chad stands at 17.9 percent at the beginning of 2023, compared to 27.9 percent in Central Africa. This means that there are 3.2 million internet users in the country.
In terms of social media usage in Chad, Facebook takes the lead with 461,800 users, followed by Facebook Messenger with 154,900 users. Instagram has 61,400 users, LinkedIn has 74,000 members, and the platform formerly known as Twitter, now called X, has 28,300 users.
Succès Masra, a former opposition leader turned transitional prime minister, has over 100,000 followers on his X account and 315,000 followers on his Facebook page. These accounts serve as useful channels for mobilizing supporters during his numerous protests against the regime in power. Mahamat Idriss Déby has nearly 100,000 followers with whom he shares updates related to his management of the country.
In addition to politicians, activists are also active on social media. Tahirou Hissein Dagga is active on Facebook, while Abel Maina has 25,000 followers. Makaila Nguebla, a journalist, has over 12,000 followers on X and 55,000 on Facebook.
Ensuring the protection of journalists as they carry out their work remains the biggest challenge in Chad, especially as the country undergoes a political transition that requires a free and diverse press for democratic reconstruction.
Written by Jean Sovon Translated by Jean-Christophe Brunet · View original post [fr]
This post originally appeared on Global Voices.
