On Friday 07 April 2023, the Republic of Chad ordered Jan-Christian Gordon Kricke, the German ambassador, to leave the country owing to his “lack of respect for diplomatic customs”.


https://naijaphilia.com/blog/2023/04/10/africa-lens-republic-of-chad-orders-german-ambassador-to-leave-within-48-hours/

In a terse statement, the Chadian military government, led by General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, told Kricke, who has since July 2021 been serving as Germany’s ambassador to the country, to leave within 48 hours.


https://naijaphilia.com/blog/2023/04/10/africa-lens-republic-of-chad-orders-german-ambassador-to-leave-within-48-hours/

Chad’s communication ministry, in its official statement said, “this decision of the government is motivated by the discourteous attitude and lack of respect for diplomatic customs”.


https://naijaphilia.com/blog/2023/04/10/africa-lens-republic-of-chad-orders-german-ambassador-to-leave-within-48-hours/

Kricke had criticised delays in holding elections after the 2021 Chadian coup and a ruling last year that allows Mahamat Déby, the interim military leader, to run in elections next year.


https://naijaphilia.com/blog/2023/04/10/africa-lens-republic-of-chad-orders-german-ambassador-to-leave-within-48-hours/

Military leaders in the Central African country originally promised an 18-month transition to elections when Déby seized power after his father, President Idriss Déby Itno, died on 20 April 2021.


https://naijaphilia.com/blog/2023/04/10/africa-lens-republic-of-chad-orders-german-ambassador-to-leave-within-48-hours/

In 2022, however, the military junta extended the timeline by two years, delaying elections until October 2024. The decision sparked protests which saw the military using force to handle the riot. Dozens of civilians were killed.


https://naijaphilia.com/blog/2023/04/10/africa-lens-republic-of-chad-orders-german-ambassador-to-leave-within-48-hours/

The now-expelled German embassy joined others, including the United States, in expressing concern over the delayed return to democracy in Chad.

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

https://naijaphilia.com/blog/2023/04/10/africa-lens-republic-of-chad-orders-german-ambassador-to-leave-within-48-hours/