The Chadian capital N’Djamena was on alert on Thursday after 19 people died during clashes between security forces and gunmen in the presidential complex.

The assault came after President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno returned to his compound following talks with China’s Foreign Minister Wang-Yi.

Playing down Wednesday night’s assault, government spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah said on social media: “It was a little incident … everything is calm. This whole attempt at destabilisation has been thwarted.”

Eighteen assailants were killed in the gunfight and six wounded, the government said. One soldier from the presidential guard also died in the exchanges with the commando unit and three were injured as tanks moved onto the city’s streets.

Earlier security sources described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. But Koulamallah described the gunmen as drunken “Pieds Nickelés” - a reference to a French comic strip featuring hapless crooks.