The country's Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah reports to AFP. According to Koulamallah, 18 of those killed were attackers, while one person belonged to the security personnel.
A few hours after the attack, Koulamallah participated in a video clip published on social media, where he stands surrounded by armed soldiers.
In the clip, he says that "the situation is completely under control, the attempt to destabilize has been defeated". A security source tells AFP that the attackers were members of the jihadist Boko Haram, something that is however denied by the Foreign Minister.
The attack occurs barely two weeks after the Central African country, ruled by a military junta, held a parliamentary election with low voter turnout and whose legitimacy is strongly questioned by the opposition.
