Chad’s government has maintained that the situation is stable in the capital N’Djamena after gunfire was heard near the presidential palace.
Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a video recorded in the palace that there was a “minor incident” but “everything is calm”.
Sources close to the African country’s government said there had been clashes between security forces and “terrorists”.
French news agency AFP quoted Koulamallah as saying 18 attackers and a member of the security forces had been killed.
Chad is a landlocked country in north-central Africa that, since gaining independence from France in 1960, has seen many periods of instability and fighting, most recently between government forces and those of the Islamist group Boko Haram.
It is led by President Mahamat Déby, who was installed by the military in 2021 after his father, Idriss Déby, was killed in a battle with rebels after 30 years in power.
After the incident on Wednesday, tanks were seen in the area and all roads leading to the palace were closed, AFP said.
In the video, posted on Facebook, Koulamallah can be seen surrounded by members of the government forces.
“Nothing serious happened,” he said.
“We are here to defend our country at the price of our blood, calm down.
“This whole destabilization effort has been thwarted.”
He was then seen taking pictures raising his fist with the soldiers.
Koulamallah was quoted by AFP as saying that the attack was launched by 24 soldiers, adding that six attackers were wounded.
Three other members of the government forces were also injured, he added.
This incident happened a few hours after the visit of this French territory by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, who met with Déby and other senior officials.
Late last month, Chad held a series of parliamentary elections that the government proposed as the first step in a transition from military rule to civilian rule.
The opposition parties, however, called on their supporters to boycott the vote due to concerns about voter fraud.
Chad previously hosted a French military base, which France used to provide logistical and intelligence support to the Chadian military and to participate in counter-terrorism operations in the region.
In November, of course terminated its defense cooperation agreement and France, a move Koulamallah said would allow Chad to “confirm its full sovereignty”.
Chad is also part of a region that has spread across Africa known as the Coup Belt following successive military coups since 2020, including Mali, Niger and Sudan.
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