In Chad, the twelve Russian and Lithuanian citizens, who are presented as tourists and arrested in the north of the country by the Chadian authorities, are now free to leave the country. They were arrested in the Chadian Sahara on June 13 and released after an investigation.
They are twelve, eleven Russians, including two women, and one Lithuanian, and entered the country on May 25 through Cameroon. They were arrested three weeks later, on June 13, near Faya-Largeau, in the north of the country. It is a zone classified as red in terms of security, especially due to Libya’s proximity and rebellion that is often reported there.
Brought back manu militari to Ndjamena, the group was placed under house arrest, the time of an investigation. Their phones, computers and other electronic devices were confiscated. They claim to be tourists traveling around the world in off-road vehicles.
The organizer of this trip, Alexeï Karmerzanov, who is based in Moscow, cites a misunderstanding: “Why go to Chad? As there are things to see: the Ennedi Plateau, the Tibesti Plateau, Lake Ounianga, it really is an exceptional trip. And several hundred foreign tourists use it every year. It is a relatively common course. Local companies take care of it. In our case, we were followed.
We were not at all like the press introducing us to spectators who were lost in the desert. We had an exact and validated route. We stood out in every village, in every city we passed. So on our side, everything was done according to the rules. The whole story looks more like a problem with the internal coordination of Chad’s services. Apparently they had doubts. But they looked at our technical equipment. We had no prohibited equipment. ”
Their equipment has been returned to them and these foreign nationals are now free to leave the country. They must leave the country on Friday after taking a Covid test to be able to travel. Earlier this week, the Chadian foreign minister apologized for the “inconvenience”. Not a word about the conclusions of the investigation.
According to our information, the Chadian security authorities suspect these men and women of having entered this military zone for a reconnaissance mission. This area houses a French military base. Some see this arrest of Russian tourists in the north in connection with a Franco-Russian rivalry in the region. The Russians were present in Libya and in the Central African Republic.
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