Irate Chadians wait outside court
2007-10-30 13:32
Abeche - Dozens of protestors gathered on Tuesday outside the courthouse in Abeche, eastern Chad, to denounce 18 people, including 16 Europeans, charged over a bid to fly 103 children to France.
The crowd shouted slogans against the suspects, who included nine French nationals and seven Spaniards charged late on Monday over the Zoe's Ark affair.
One protester said: "They are thieves, killers." Another appeared to accuse the French authorities of being involved. He said: "France is complicit in this. Colonisation is over."
As the protest continued, soldiers patrolled the neighbourhood and six police officers guarded the entrance to the court. Late on Monday a judge laid charges against the 16 Europeans.
6 Spanish members charged
Nine French nationals - six members of the charity and three journalists - had been charged with "kidnapping of minors with the aim of compromising their civil status" and "swindling," said Abeche's prosecutor, Ahmat Daoud.
Seven Spanish members of the plane's flight crew who were to have flown the children out of the country were charged with complicity.
On Tuesday, Justice Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke said two Chadian local government officials had also been charged with complicity.
The 16 European detainees could be seen inside the court-house, where they spent the night, said reports.
One of them, stretched out on the ground, appeared to be receiving medical treatment. Some of the Spanish air hostesses were on the verge of tears.
The members of the French charity wore T-shirts marked "Children Rescue", the name of the evacuation operation at the centre of the Chadian investigation, and the dark blue trousers worn by France's emergency services.
They were expected to be transferred on Tuesday to the capital, N'Djamena.