Suicide bomber ‘kills 14’ in Chad

A man dressed in a woman’s burqa blew himself up at a main market in N’Djamena, capital of Chad, killing 14 people and injuring 74.

Paul Manga, the country’s police spokesman, confirmed the incident, saying it happened on Saturday morning.

“Our current count is 15 dead,” Manga said, explaining that the figure includes the suicide bomber.

A witness told Reuters that he saw at least ten bodies lying near the entrance to the market where aid workers helped injured people into ambulances.

Several witnesses said the bomber had tried to enter the market wearing a woman’s burqa.

Chad authorities banned the head-to-toe religious garment last month, citing the risk that attackers could use it as a disguise or hide explosives underneath.

“The suicide bomber was a man disguised as a woman (in a burqa). He tried to enter the market when he was intercepted by police,” Manga said. “That is when he detonated the bomb.”

Residents said the explosion happened at around 0830 local time during a busy period before the midday heat.

“It is terrible to live through such things during the holy month of Ramadan and right next to the main mosque of N’Djamena,” Abubakar, a resident who had come to the market after hearing the explosion, said.

Chad has been at the forefront of a regional military campaign against Boko Haram.

The country has suffered multiple attacks from the sect.