Chad expels German ambassador over ‘lack of respect’

The Republic of Chad has ordered Gordon Kricke, German ambassador, to leave the country owing to his “lack of respect for diplomatic customs”.

In a terse statement on Friday, the Chadian government asked Kricke, who has been serving as Germany’s ambassador to Chad since 2021, to leave in 48 hours.

Communiqué du Gouvernement pic.twitter.com/x16asWItDH

— Ministère de la Communication 🇹🇩 (@com_gouv_td) April 7, 2023

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The country’s communication ministry said, “this decision of the government is motivated by the discourteous attitude and the lack of respect for diplomatic customs”.

The ministry did not expand on the reasons it gave for Kricke’s expulsion.

Kricke had criticised delays in holding elections after the 2021 coup and a ruling last year that would allow Mahamat Deby, the interim military leader, to run in elections in 2024, Reuters quoted Chadian government sources as saying.

Military leaders in the Central African country originally promised an 18-month transition to elections when Deby seized power after his father, President Idriss Deby, died.

In 2022, however, the military junta extended the timeline by two years, delaying elections until October 2024.

The decision sparked protests which saw the military using force to handle the riot. Dozens of civilians were killed.

The German embassy joined others, including the United States, in expressing concern over the delayed return to democracy in Chad.