In a fresh announcement, it has been revealed that popular Radio Cefod journalist, Orédjé Narcisse and another Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif have both been shot dead in Chad and Kenya respectively.
The incidents had reportedly occurred on October 20 and 24, respectively as had been reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in separate statements.
Narcisse had been murdered in Chad’s capital N’Djamena as he was on his way to work and Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator, called for a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“Authorities must also ensure the safety of journalists as the country grapples with anti-government protests”, Quintal noted.
The deceased had also been targeted outside his home, reportedly by individuals who had been wearing Chadian military uniforms.
Leubnoudji Tah Nathan, who is the President of the Network of Chadian Journalists and Reporters (RJRT), cited information from eyewitnesses and Orédjé’s colleagues and Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has also called for an inquiry.
In February, Chadian journalist Evariste Djailoramdji had also been killed while covering community violence in Sandana village and in response to Sharif’s killing near Nairobi, New York-based CPJ had also demanded that the perpetrators would face the law.
Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator had revealed that there must be a thorough probe and the findings released to the public. The police had also released a statement saying an officer fatally shot Sharif in a remote area outside the Kenyan capital.
Sharif, 49, previously worked as an anchor with Pakistan’s ARY TV. He left the country two months ago after an arrest warrant.
The writ had followed his interview with Shahbaz Gill who had been a close aide to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Gill was said to have comments considered offensive by the military and the news channel was briefly taken off the air subsequently.
On August 31, ARY TV announced it was ending ties with Sharif, citing a breach of conduct on social media. Sharif specialised in investigative journalism and covered political events in Pakistan for news organisations.