Chad: Talks between junta and rebel groups drag on in Doha

Negotiations between Chad’s ruling military junta and the political-military movement opposed to the N’Djamena regime began on March 13 and were supposed to end on Monday, June 13. But according to government sources gathered by RFI, an agreement to allow rebel groups to participate in an inclusive national dialogue to build new institutions is being delayed.

At the end of May, Mauritanian Moustapha Chafi was ordered to come to the rescue to unblock negotiations between the Chadian military government and rebels in Doha.

“Our target is the end of June.”The admission came from one of the government’s main negotiators who returned to Doha a few days ago for the latest round of discussions with the rebel movement. A few weeks ago, the date for signing the agreement between the different camps was brought forward to June 13.

The three rebel groups sent the draft agreement to the mediator a month ago, who forwarded it to N’Djamena. The text proposes a review of the institutions responsible for the transition, a revision of the transitional charter, allowing the appointment of a prime minister from the opposition and the formation of a new parliament of 200 members, including at least 50 political and military representatives. Finally, the document stipulates that the leaders of the transitional institutions will not be candidates for the next elections.

The rebel groups received another brief that took into account the government’s counter-proposals.

Since Sunday, most of the representatives of the 50 rebel movements divided into three tendencies who left Doha after the talks began in March have returned.

They will have a week to review the government’s counter-proposal. While making final adjustments, negotiators hope to complete the Doha talks by the end of the month – a process aimed at engaging the political and military groups in an inclusive dialogue in N’Djamena.

According to some sources on social networks, it is no longer the Chadian Foreign Minister Cherif Mohamed Zene who leads the talks from the government side, but ordinary members of the N’Djamena delegation.