• The military government of Chad and some rebel groups signed a deal on Monday in Qatar.
• The deal did not include the country’s largest opposition group, though.
• Those who signed the agreement have committed to a cease-fire prior to the August 20 scheduled meetings in N’Djamena.

The military government of Chad and some rebel groups signed a deal on Monday in Qatar. The deal did not include the country’s largest opposition group, though.

Those who signed the Doha agreement have committed to a cease-fire prior to the August 20 scheduled meetings in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena.

Chad’s junta also pledged not to conduct military or police operations against signatory groups in neighbouring nations.

The largest rebel group in the country, the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, did not sign the commitment.

Idriss Deby Itno, who was Chad’s longtime leader and ruled the country from 1990 to 2021, was killed by a secret group called FACT, which is its French acronym.

This immediately made people wonder if the agreement would be enough to make sure the negotiations would go well as the 18-month transition from military to democratic rule nears its end.

FACT did not immediately release a statement regarding its refusal to sign the pledge.

We hope “other groups will join the march of reconciliation and peace, with a view to achieving the aspirations and dreams of the Chadian people,“

The foreign minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, spoke to those who had gathered for the signing ceremony.

“The initial peace agreement we are celebrating today will be an important turning point toward stability and prosperity for the Chadian people.”

“It is no secret that the negotiations faced many challenges which were addressed through your estimated efforts,”  Sheikh Mohammed remarked.

Twenty rebel factions left the negotiations in July, claiming the military administration led by Deby’s 38-year-old son Mahamat Idriss Deby, of “harassment, intimidation, threats, and disinformation.”

Rebels want Deby to say he won’t run in future elections, but the military junta says that can only be settled in national dialogue negotiations.

The Qatari vow does not prevent Deby from standing in future elections.

Chad’s frustration with Deby’s father’s 30-year rule led to years of rebel uprisings in the former French colony, which borders Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan.

Due to unrest in the neighbouring nations, Chadian rebel soldiers have fled over the border.

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