“Rude Attitude”
Chad expels German ambassador
04/08/2023 10:17 am
Jan-Christian Gordon Kricke is an experienced diplomat. But his tenure as the German embassy in Chad is over after just under two years: the government of the Central African country has declared him persona non grata without giving any further reasons.
Chad has declared the German ambassador to be an undesirable person in the Central African country. Diplomat Jan-Christian Gordon Kricke had to leave the country within 48 hours, the government in N’Djamena announced in the evening. She accuses Kricke of a “rude attitude” and “ignoring diplomatic customs,” but gives no further details.
“For us, the reasons why the Chadian government declared our ambassador in N’Djamena persona non grata are absolutely incomprehensible,” said the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. “We are in contact with the Chadian government about this.”
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Is ruler Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno still calling elections?
(Photo: picture alliance/dpa/MAXPPP)
Kricke has headed the German embassy in Chad since July 2021. Previously, he served as ambassador to Niger and the Philippines, among other things. Before moving to N’Djamena, he was Germany’s special representative for the Sahel.
Local media suspect criticism of the current transitional government as the reason for the sacking. When asked, a government source said Kricke was specifically accused of “interfering too much” in the country’s governance. He was also criticized for allegedly divisive statements. Kricke received several “calls to order”.
waiting for elections
The country in the Sahel region, which is riddled with poverty and corruption and borders Libya to the north and Niger to the west, has been governed by President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno since April 2021. He came to power after his father, long-time ruler Idriss Déby, was killed by rebels in the north of the country.
The junta originally promised to organize elections within 18 months. In October, however, Déby’s rule was extended by two more years. Opposition protests were bloodily suppressed. At the time, the federal government and several other EU countries had expressed their concern about the delayed return to democracy.