A foiled attack on Chad's presidential compound overnight was carried out by a group of two dozen armed "ill-intentioned individuals" who were neutralised by security forces, the public prosecutor said on Thursday,

State media in Chad say an attack on the presidential palace left 18 assailants dead and six in custody, with one soldier killed and three wounded.

Chad said it averted a “destabilization attempt” after security forces repelled two dozen assailants that briefly entered the presidency where the West African nation’s military leader had received China’s foreign minister.