Three journalists in Chad were jailed pending trial on charges of colluding with the Wagner private military company, the public prosecutor and one of the journalists lawyers said Monday.They are suspected of working with the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Public Prosecutor Omar Mahamat Kedelaye told AFP.The journalists Olivier Mbaindinguim Monodji, director of the weekly Le Pays and Chadian correspondent for Radio France Internationale (RFI); Le Pays editor Ndilyam Guekidata; and Tele Tchad journalist Mahamat Saleh Alhissein were charged with espionage, conspiracy and attacking state institutions, lawyer Allahtaroum Amos said.Kedelayesaid the arrests stemmed from documents allegedly showing the journalists provided information on Chads security and economy, actions deemed to harm Chad's military or diplomatic situation or its economic interests.The allegations amounted to plotting against the state and complicity,Kedelaye added.All three journalists were sent to Klessoum prison on Monday after questioning and are set to appear in court on Thursday.Tele Tchad management told AFP on Sunday that its reporter was accused of translating Russian documents related to Wagner operations in Mali and the Sahels economic situation.
Other sources said Monodji was arrested over an article on the September inauguration of the Russian House cultural center in Chads capital, N'Djamena.The arrests come amid a broader crackdown on journalists, politicians and opposition figures under Chads military leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.
Rights groups, including the World Organization Against Torture, have condemned Chads increasing use of arrests and detentions without due process.Deby, who took power after his fathers death three years ago, has moved Chad away from its former colonial ruler, France, and strengthened ties with Russia.
Moscow has sent Wagner Group mercenaries to several countries in the Sahel, including Mali and the Central African Republic, which borders Chad.In September, three Russians one with ties to late Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin were arrested upon arrival in Chad and detained for five weeks without explanation from Russian or Chadian authorities.