Jan-Christian Gordon Kricke, the esteemed German ambassador to Chad, departed the nation on Saturday, following a request made by the country’s military authorities. This development has sparked curiosity and concern among diplomatic circles, prompting discussions on the nature of the request and its underlying implications.
The Chadian Foreign Ministry said that this decision should not be considered a break in relations between the two countries.
Thus, the government spokesman, Aziz Mahamat Saleh said in a statement published on Twitter that the German ambassador was expelled for his “discourteous attitude” and his “failure to respect diplomatic customs”.
For his part, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said in an emailed statement that the justifications given by Chad were “incomprehensible”.
Kricke, who has been ambassador to Chad since 2021, criticized the lack of transparency in the investigation of opposition protests in 2022 over the 20 October massacre when security forces fired on demonstrators killing at least 50 people, according to Human Rights Watch.
Chad is considered a key ally of the United States and the European Union in the fight against extremism in the region.