Overview
- Chad’s culture and tourism minister Abakar Rozi Teguil said the body was found in the Bachikele mountains and that a prosecutor’s formal constat is pending before evacuation to N’Djamena.
- The victim, a retiree from Dijon, was traveling with a roughly 50‑person tour for the Festival of Saharan Cultures in Amdjarass.
- Authorities say he and a French companion left the group without authorization and without a guide; the companion was found after getting lost and said he tried to dissuade further progress.
- Search teams used motorcycles, 4x4s, camels, foot patrols, drones and a reconnaissance aircraft, with rescuers on foot ultimately locating the body next to an empty water bottle.
- The incident occurred near the Guelta de Bachikele in the Ennedi massif, an area the French foreign ministry classifies as red, even as a local official maintains the zone is secure.