Chad to expel German ambassador over ‘impolite’ attitude

N’Djamena (AFP): Germany’s ambassador to Chad will be expelled within 48 hours for his “impolite attitude” and “non-respect of diplomatic practices”, the government in N’Djamena said in a statement Friday.

The ambassador, Jan Christian Gordon Kricke, has been in the role since July 2021, and the government gave no official explanation for his expulsion.

Government spokesman Aziz Mahamat Saleh urged him to “leave Chadian territory within 48 hours.”

“We have not been officially contacted,” a source at the German Embassy told AFP on condition of anonymity, who said he had heard the news via social media.

Kricke has previously served as a diplomat in Niger, Angola and the Philippines. He was also a special representative for Germany in the unstable Sahel.

A government source told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that Kricke was seen as “interfering too much” in the governance of the country, and making divisive remarks.

He had been warned on several occasions, the source added.

General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno took power after his father, president Idriss Deby Itno, who ruled the country for 30 years, died during an operation against rebels in April 2021.

The military junta initially promised to hand power to civilians, however in October, Deby’s rule was extended for two years.

The German embassy joined others, such as France, Spain and The Netherlands, in expressing its concern over the delayed return to democracy.