The central African nation Chad has banned people from wearing Islamic full face veils (burqas) after twin suicide bombings in capital N'Djamena killed 33 on Monday.
The Chadian government blamed the deadly bombings on Nigerian Islamic terror group Boko Haram, reported BBC. Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet said the veil was used as a "camouflage" by Boko Haram militants.
"Wearing the burqa must stop immediately from today, not only in public places and schools but throughout the whole of the country," Prime Minister Deubet declared, according to AFP. "Anyone found wearing a burqa would be arrested, tried and sentenced in summary proceedings," Deubet said.
The Chad government has banned the selling of veils and ordered its security forces to seize and burn all burqas sold in markets, reported Reuters. The ban on full-face veils will apply in both private and public places such as education institutions, hospitals and markets.
A burqa, locally referred as Chadri or Paranja in Chad, is a garment worn by Muslim women when they go to public places. Chad, a Muslim majority country, becomes the second African nation to ban women from wearing the full-face veils.
Islamic scholars, however, fear a fully fledged ban on burqas may further accelerate violence and will make Muslim women feel insecure and abused, according to Regional News Service. "I would rather see dialogue on the issue," Sheikh Hamid Byamugenzi, a scholar from the Islamic University in Kampala, said.
In a related development, Chad has carried out airstrikes on Boko Haram hideouts in neighboring Nigeria to avenge twin suicide bombings, according to Vanguard newspaper.
"Six Boko Haram bases were destroyed in the airstrikes, which caused considerable human and material losses," Chadian military said in a statement on Thursday. "Chad will continue its merciless pursuit of the insurgents so that no drop of Chadian blodd spilt goes unpunished," the military said.
A regional anti-Boko Haram taskforce is based in Chad's capital N'Djamena, according to BBC. The taskforce has troops from Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin. France's 3,000 member Barkhane mission is also part of taskforce.
