Following five months of Qatar-mediated negotiations, Chad’s military junta, led by Gen. Mahamat Idriss Déby, on Monday concluded a peace deal with 42 rebel and opposition groups that paves the way for a national reconciliation dialogue later this month to finalise a roadmap for presidential elections.
The Doha Peace Agreement, signed by Chadian Foreign Minister Chérif Mahamat Zene, announced a permanent ceasefire by all concerned parties to move towards civilian disarmament. Chadian military and police authorities have also pledged to not launch armed operations against the signatory rebel groups. The junta has also agreed not to conduct military or police operations against these groups in neighbouring countries.
The signing of the #Doha_Peace_Agreement_in_Chad under the auspices of #Qatar comes prior to the start of the Comprehensive & Sovereign National Dialogue in #Chad. We thank all those who participated in the success of this agreement & hope all parties engage in this dialogue. pic.twitter.com/FWKuUBxRoE
— محمد بن عبدالرحمن (@MBA_AlThani_) August 8, 2022
In a statement on Monday, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed the agreement for charting the path towards the signing of a ‘Comprehensive and Sovereign National Dialogue’ in N'djamena.
In this regard, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani expressed hope that “other groups will join the march of reconciliation and peace, with a view to achieving the aspirations and dreams of the Chadian people,” while welcoming the deal as “an important turning point towards stability and prosperity” in the country.
In fact, the signing of the peace pact came just two days after Mahamat’s meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, wherein the duo reaffirmed their commitment to resuming an “inclusive” national dialogue on August 20 to facilitate a democratic transition.
Qatar announces milestone in peace talks between Chad's govt and rebels. Key to note: Chadians did not sit and pretend that talks must hold in N'Djamena without internationals. These wars are costly and can be resolved with goodwill of the parties. A leaf to borrow for Cameroon. https://t.co/nSRMEt0dHn
— Arrey E. Ntui (@ArreyMcNtui) August 8, 2022
However, the success of the agreement has been drawn into question over the fact that nine rebel groups refused to sign the deal. One of these groups is the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), which in fact was behind the assassination of Mahamat’s father, longtime president Idriss Déby, whose death last April led to the junta taking control of the country in the first place. FACT is estimated to have between 1,500-2,000 fighters, meaning that the non-inclusion of the group in the peace agreement could result in continued instability.
FACT has rejected the peace accord over the “failure” to take its “demands in consideration,” claiming that it falls short of ensuring that all partners are treated equally in the national dialogue. It further demands that Gen. Mahamat should be barred from contesting presidential elections and has pressed for the release of 400 of its fighters detained by his government.
#Chad's FACT rebels reject a peace deal between the country's interim authorities and armed/opposition groups to be signed in Doha today, setting the stage for an even more contentious national reconciliation and transition process when dialogue kicks off on 20 Aug. pic.twitter.com/keiUeznHsE
— Beverly Ochieng (@BeverlyOchieng) August 8, 2022
In fact, earlier in July, nearly 20 rebel groups withdrew from the peace negotiations, alleging that the military government has created a “bad atmosphere” for talks after it postponed the national reconciliation dialogue from May until later this month. They also lambasted Mahamat’s “harassment, intimidation, threats, and disinformation.”
Regardless of these developments, Mahamat has not fully acceded to the rebels’ demands and has only agreed to negotiate his prospects of contesting elections at the upcoming dialogue, which he says will be “inclusive.” Furthermore, FM Chérif has declared that arrested FACT fighters would only be released upon guarantees that they would not take up arms again.
In the same vein, Fadoul Hissein, from the National Council for Reform, one of the facilitators of the peace accord, told Al Jazeera that FACT are “welcome in the future to sign this agreement,” lauding the deal as a “historic opportunity.” He added that he is “very optimistic” that “all Chadians will be happy with this deal,” and urged those who have so far boycotted it to sign it.
With nearly 600,000 refugees and 400,000 internally displaced people, #Chad🇹🇩 remains a major host country despite facing its own challenges.
— UNHCR West & Central Africa (@UNHCRWestAfrica) August 8, 2022
Read the story: https://t.co/SY6QS3EDMO pic.twitter.com/D58alKlneo
Chad has witnessed periodic threats to its political stability since its independence in 1960. Idriss Déby ruled over the country with an iron fist for nearly three decades and was accused of indulging in rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, and rigging elections. Simmering discontent even sparked rebel uprisings in neighbouring Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan.
Following Déby’s death, his son Mahamat seized power to declare himself as the interim president of the Transitional Military Council, while promising presidential elections within the next 18 months. However, he has not taken any concrete steps towards complying with this deadline, which is due to end in October.
The Secretary-General hopes that the Doha Peace Agreement will enable the participation of signatory groups of #Chad in the National Dialogue. He encourages further engagements with the groups that have not yet signed to facilitate their participation in the Dialogue in Ndjamena. https://t.co/QJPjUiDCLe pic.twitter.com/CjxAuOUW1p
— UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (@UNDPPA) August 8, 2022
Nevertheless, the Doha peace agreement has garnered international praise. For instance, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed Monday’s signing ceremony and expressed hope that the “National Dialogue will provide a historic opportunity to put Chad on the path towards constitutional order and sustainable peace.”
Likewise, the European Union commended the peace accord and urged all partners to pace up a return to “constitutional order without further delay.” This sentiment was also echoed in statements released by France and the United States.
The signing ceremony was also attended by African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, who said now it is more “crucial” than ever for all partners to live up to their commitments in order to regain the trust of all Chadians.