The family of Chadian opposition figure Yaya Dillo says he was assassinated during a February 27, 2025 raid at his party headquarters in N’Djamena, and is calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances of his death. According to the family’s lawyer, Charles-Stéphane Marchiani, armed men “belonging to the Chadian state security services” stormed the building; within 24 hours the site was razed and Dillo was buried without a legal autopsy.
“Yaya Dillo was assassinated… This building was stormed by armed men… Within 24 hours, the building was razed and Mr. Yaya Dillo was buried without any expert assessment or legal autopsy,” Marchiani said at a press conference.
Opposition leaders also condemned the government’s conduct. Robert Gam, secretary-general of Dillo’s party, accused authorities of a pattern of repression over the past 19 months: “Only in Chad does the government shoot at its people, kidnap citizens, and sequester and kill opponents who defend justice without international partners being concerned.”
Amnesty International urged Chadian authorities to immediately release ten associates of Dillo who were recently acquitted but remain in detention, calling the continued hold a violation of human rights. The group also pressed for clarity on the status of others linked to the case and flagged dire detention conditions—including for minors and people with health issues—cited by Samira Daoud, Amnesty’s Regional Director.
The crackdown has extended to senior figures: Gam himself was arrested in September 2024 and is reportedly held incommunicado; another party member, Abakar Torabi, was detained nine months without charge before his release. Amnesty says authorities must file legitimate charges or free Gam entirely.
The family’s allegations, the reported destruction of the crime scene, and the absence of an autopsy have intensified calls for a transparent, independent inquiry—with access to witnesses, records, and any security-service logs—alongside judicial guarantees for detainees. Human-rights advocates warn that without such steps, trust in the rule of law will erode further, and the risk of renewed political violence will grow.
