N'Djamena--Many people were reported killed Monday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in attacks targeting police in the capital of Chad, a country on the frontline of the fight against Boko Haram.
The government swiftly convened an emergency meeting following the simultaneous bombings outside the police headquarters and police academy in N'Djamena, an official said on condition of anonymity.
They were the first such attacks in the capital of the north-central African nation, where security has been beefed up since Chad joined the fight against Boko Haram earlier this year.
An official with the capital's police force told AFP that many people were dead and wounded in the twin attacks although there was no precise casualty toll.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings, which came as police cadets were attending a training course at the academy.
Large numbers of Chad's security forces were seen taking up positions on the streets of the capital after the attacks.
President Idriss Deby was expected to return home during the day from an African Union summit in Johannesburg, an official said.
The former French colony is part of a four-nation coalition also including Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger that was created to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency as the group steps up cross-border attacks.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has on several occasions threatened to attack Chad and other countries in the coalition.
Paris condemned Monday's blasts, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying France "stands alongside Chad and its partners in the fight against terrorism".
Chad also is a close ally of France in its counter-terrorism Operation Barkhane in five countries in the Sahel region and the French army has set up its headquarters for the campaign in N'Djamena.
AFP
