Berlin regrets development
Germany expels Chadian ambassador
4/11/2023, 4:46 p.m
Apparently because he interfered too much in the governance of Chad, the country is expelling the German ambassador. Contrary to its announcement, the military junta there has not scheduled any elections. Berlin is now reacting in a mirror image.
In response to the expulsion of the German ambassador to Chad, the German government expelled the African country’s top diplomat from Germany. “In response to the unfounded expulsion of our ambassador in Chad, we summoned the Chadian ambassador in Berlin, Mariam Ali Moussa, today and asked her to leave Germany within 48 hours,” the Foreign Office tweeted. “We regret that it had to come to this.”
Chad expelled Ambassador Gordon Kricke over the weekend. A reason for the move was not given. However, the Ministry of Communications wrote on Twitter that the decision was justified “by the rude attitude and non-compliance with diplomatic customs”. Kricke left the country at the weekend, according to the Central African country’s foreign minister, Mahamat Saleh Annadif.
The Foreign Office, on the other hand, emphasized that Kricke “executed his office in N’Djamena in an exemplary manner and campaigned for human rights and the rapid transition to a civilian government in Chad”. The German embassy in the country will continue this commitment together with local partners. A Chadian government source told AFP that Kricke was specifically accused of “interfering too much” in the country’s governance. The ambassador received several “calls to order”.
The head of Chad’s ruling military junta, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, took power in the country in April 2021 after his father, longtime head of state Idriss Deby Itno, was killed in battles with rebels. The junta originally announced that it would organize elections within 18 months. In October, however, Déby’s rule was extended by two more years. At the time, Germany and several other EU countries expressed their concerns about the delayed return to democracy.