by Andrew Mills
DOHA (Reuters) – Chad’s junta and more than 30 rebel factions signed an agreement in the Qatari capital Doha on Monday to open an inclusive national reconciliation dialogue by the end of the month, but several groups refused to ratify the text, including the Front pour l’Alternance et la Concorde au Tchad (FACT).
“Most of the armed groups have signed this agreement and will participate in the national dialogue. And this national, inclusive dialogue is a forum for all Chadians,” Mahamat Zene Cherif, minister of foreign affairs in the military government, told reporters. of transition, minimizing concerns about the lack of signature of certain armed groups.
At the ceremony, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al Thani called on the rebel factions that had not signed to join the framework of the agreement.
The Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), one of the main Chadian armed groups, announced on Sunday that it had rejected this agreement, while specifying that it remained open to further discussions.
The Libya-based group, which spearheaded the offensive on the capital N’Djamena that claimed the life of former President Idriss Déby last year, said in a statement that the deal did not take account its demands, including the release of prisoners captured during the fighting.
In addition to representatives of the transitional military government and rebel groups, this national dialogue is supposed to include a wide range of political groups and formations as well as civil society organisations.
The details of the application of this agreement – which took place after several months of discussions under the aegis of Qatar in Doha – whether it concerns the terms of implementation or monitoring, for example, were not specified in the immediate.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the signatories agreed to a permanent ceasefire and agreed to work towards the disarmament of civilians.
This same source, who requested anonymity, specified that the junta had pledged not to launch military or police operations in neighboring countries against the rebel groups that signed the agreement.
Mahamat Zene Cherif, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the junta, told the press that more than 1,500 representatives of the parties concerned would take part in the opening session of the national dialogue on August 20 in N’Djamena, saying that he hoped that this agreement would to lead Chad towards a lasting peace.
The Transitional Military Council (CMT) seized power in Chad in April 2021 after the death of Idriss Déby from wounds during a visit to his troops on the front against the rebels, north of N’Djamena.
The CMT, which has given no concrete sign of the organization of free elections despite initial promises of a democratic transition lasting 18 months, is led by Mahamat Idriss Itno, son of the late president.
(Reporting Andrew Mills, written by Alexander Cornwell; French version Myriam Rivet, editing by Kate Entringer)