German ambassador expelled for ‘impolite attitude’

The government of Chad announced the expulsion of German Ambassador Jan-Christian Gordon Kricke on Friday, giving him 48 hours to leave the country.

“This decision of the government is motivated by the impolite attitude and the non-respect of diplomatic customs,” the Chadian Communications Ministry said on Friday.

The German Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the reason for declaring its diplomat persona non grata was not clear. It argued that the justification of the move voiced by Chad was “completely incomprehensible.”

AFP cited a Chadian government source as saying that Kricke was “interfering too much” in the country’s affairs and making divisive remarks. Reuters, meanwhile, quoted sources as saying that Chad decided to expel the envoy due to his comments about the delay in the country’s transition to civilian rule after a coup two years ago.

Chad’s current leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby, has led a military government that took over power after his father, President Idriss Deby, was killed in 2021 while campaigning against armed insurgents in the northern part of the country.

The government initially promised to hold elections by October 2022, but appointed Deby to serve as an interim president for two years after the deadline expired. Deby said at the time that “a government of national unity” would work to ensure that “the will of the Chadian people is fully upheld.”