Civil society organisations, political representatives and more than 30 rebel and opposition factions signed a peace agreement with the country’s military transitional authorities on Monday, August 8 – but without the most powerful insurgent group, the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), which refused to take part.
Reuters reported that delegates at the meeting in Doha, Qatar, broke into applause after the other rebel and opposition groups agreed to cease fire and participate in a national dialogue that Chad’s leader said could pave the way to elections and return the country to democratic rule.
Under the accord, the Transitional Military Council and hundreds of opposition representatives will launch a national peace dialogue in the capital, N’Djamena, on August 20.
Signatories committed to a ceasefire during the talks and the military government guaranteed the safety of rebel leaders who attended.
However, the rejection by FACT and at least eight other rebel factions cast a pall over celebrations of the agreement, which had been hammered out after about five months of talks in Qatar’s capital.
Since the death of the former president, Idriss Déby, in April last year, authorities had struggled to restore peace in Chad.
Déby died on the frontline fighting FACT rebels. His 38-year-old son, General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, took power, promising he would continue his father’s 30-year legacy of ruling the country. Shortly before his death, Idriss Déby had just won another election to prolong his stay in power.
Reuters said Idriss Déby spent much of his three decades in power fending off rebellions that sought to get him ousted. Rebels, including FACT, accused Déby and his allies of repressive rule, extrajudicial killings and rigging elections – accusations he denied.
The military transitional government headed by Mahamat Déby promised last year that the army would hold democratic elections within 18 months, which would mean in October this year.
However, there has been no sign of organising elections up to this stage. And his military administration has retained the power to extend its “transitional” rule by 18 months even though Mahamat Déby faces pressure from France, the European Union and the African Union to meet the October deadline.
RNI reporter in Chad Muhammad Sani Mouta said FACT rejected the deal because negotiators had not listened to its demands, which included releasing its prisoners.
In a statement released before the deal was signed, FACT said that the participants in the national dialogue would not be treated equally and demanded a new committee be set up to organise the talks, as well as the release of rebel prisoners from government prisons.
It was believed that 400 FACT members were in detention and the government said they would not be released without guarantees that they would not rejoin the fighting.
Mahamat Zene Cherif, the interim military government’s foreign minister, said he believed the agreement would lead to sustainable peace.
He told reporters that most of the armed groups had signed the agreement and would take part in the national dialogue, which he said was a forum for all Chadian people.
Reuters spoke to some residents in Chad’s capital N’Djamena, most of whom were not confident about the upcoming dialogue.
“We have witnessed several peace agreements that ended in fratricidal wars between the different signatory parties,” said Marius Golbe. “I will believe in this Doha agreement only when the armed groups lay down their arms and are demobilised.”
Participants of the meeting expressed concern about the refusal by FACT and other rebel groups to participate, saying the dialogue would not be “complete” without them.
AISHA SD JAMAL
