TV reporter killed by mine in Chad
Obed Nangbatna, a reporter and cameraman for the Chadian national TV broadcaster, Télé Tchad, was fatally wounded on 25 May when the military vehicle he was travelling in ran over a mine. The four soldiers travelling in the same vehicle were also killed.
Their vehicle was part of a military convoy that was heading to the northern side of Lake Chad, to where Chadian army positions had just been attacked by Islamist militants. Nangbatna was travelling with the convoy in order to be able to cover the aftermath of the attack.
Aged 42, Nangbatna was rushed to a military hospital in the Chadian capital, N’djamena, where he died of the injuries he sustained in the explosion.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of reporter-cameraman Obed Nangbatna’s death,” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said. “This tragic incident is a reminder of the sacrifices journalists have to make in order to cover war zones, often even putting their own lives in danger.”
Chad is ranked 122nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2019 World Press Freedom Index.
Chad
