France condemns break-up of protest

The French government condemned on Wednesday the use of tear gas to break up a demonstration outside its embassy in the Chadian capital, N’djamena, which left several people hospitalised. The demonstrators, mostly women, gathered there on Monday to denounce what they saw as Western “complicity” in the outcome of Chad’s recent presidential election in which the incumbent, Idriss Deby, polled 67 percent of the ballot. France called on the authorities to respect the right to assembly and peaceful protest, the Foreign Ministry said. Deby’s re-election was confirmed on Wednesday by the country’s constitutional court following an appeal by the losing candidates for the poll’s annulment.