Stop Genocide NowGabriel, Katie-Jay, Joshua and Jeremiah are still in the capital. They were in the hotel while the rebels were attacking the presidential palace and the hotel was caught in the cross fire. They are now evacuated to the French military base. Amidst the chaos they’ve been uploading blog posts and videos. Watch them here »
I walked around the kitchen area of the hotel, and the Chadian hotel staff that spent the night here (which is all that were here yesterday, since they cannot go home because of the dangers of the street) is waking up. They seem in such a good mood. Two of them come up to me […]
Hello everyone: A few times this long night, I have been stopping to read all of your comments. I truly feel a part of a large, loving community that has come together to try and do something for the displaced people of Darfur. We, here at the hotel, are so lucky that, in helping bring […]
It is past 1am in the capital of Chad. There has only been sporadic fighting, since the sun went down. I assume and hope that fighters need the rest and will take it easy for the night. Another better hope is that the fighting is over, and the people of Chad will begin a peaceful […]
It was a close one. Bullets flew over our heads and parts of the walls and objects around us came raining down on us. We were already lying on the ground because the attack on the hotel had started just a few minutes before, when we came running down from the third floor. We made […]
Only the screen of my computer and the small emergency fixture above the African statue light the dining room. I can hear familiar voices and urgent news in French passing through the crowd. We have all gathered here after the attack and are waiting to be evacuated from N’Djamena. A plane flies close to the […]
The situation on the ground is getting worse. They are still in the capital, barred from leaving the hotel. The streets are empty, and the fighting is getting closer and closer. Read Google News for all the latest news stories from Chad. Katie-Jay was also interviewed by the BBC. Gabriel is still uploading reports from […]
We had some few minutes of quiet, but now there is an all out assault somewhere close in the direction of the Palace. There are so many reports, all unconfirmed, of one side winning and then the other; there’s also been a report that the French are evacuating the President, but, as I said, we […]
We go through some quiet minutes, and it feels close to normal, but then, consistently, we get big bangs and non-stop gunfire that brings us back to the reality of N’Djamena. As I write this, a shell hit way too close to us, the kind of bang you feel on your skin. I start to […]
That stray shelling was a little close for comfort. The hotel, and my heart, shook for a moment, the longest moment I have felt in a while. We hold up on the first floor of the Le Meridien waiting to hear word from the French military or the US Embassy who is closer to the […]