Berlin has ordered Chad’s ambassador to Germany to leave the country within 48 hours in response to a similar move by the West African country last week, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
“In response to the unfounded expulsion of our Ambassador to Chad, we today summoned the Chadian Ambassador in Berlin, Mariam Ali Moussa, and called on her to leave Germany within 48 hours. We regret that it had to come to this,” the ministry said in a tweet.
Germany’s ambassador to Chad, Gordon Kricke, was expelled from the country last week. The Chadian communications ministry said that the decision was a result of “non-respect of diplomatic customs”.
Two Chadian government sources said the expulsion was due to Kricke’s critical comments about delayed elections and a court decision allowing interim military leader Mahamat Idriss Deby to run for political office.
“Ambassador Kricke exercised his office in N’Djamena in an exemplary manner & has worked for human rights & the rapid transition to a civilian government in Chad,” the German ministry said.
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, was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with rebels, ending decades of authoritarian rule.
But last year, the military government extended the timeline by two years, delaying elections until October 2024, sparking protests in which dozens of civilians were killed, and worrying regional powers and the United States who have warned against extending military rule.