By calling for the creation of a new framework for political dialogue, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno is attempting to close the transition chapter.
But differences are resurfacing between Succes Masra and Abderahman Koulamallah over the agreements that enabled the opposition leader’s return to the country.
In a statement held this Monday, May 5, 2025, at the Toumai Palace, President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno announced the end of the National Framework for Political Party Dialogue (CNCP) and invited political
stakeholders to design a new permanent dialogue body adapted to “the new era” of post-transition Chad.
This initiative comes in a political context marked by tensions within the political class, illustrated by the long-distance standoff between Succes Masra, former transitional Prime Minister and opposition leader who came second in the 2024 presidential election, and Abderahman Koulamallah, former foreign minister and now senator.
In a message marking the seventh anniversary of his party, Les Transformateurs, Masra called on President Deby to “change course so that the change desired by the people becomes a reality,” while reaffirming his commitment to the Kinshasa Agreement, signed before his return from exile and his participation in the transition.
But this statement sparked a strong reaction from Koulamallah, who denounced a “rewriting of the facts.” In a message shared on his social media and viewed by APA, the senator emphasized that the Kinshasa Agreement, in which he participated, did not include any promise of maintaining power or a post-election coalition.
According to him, “the Chadian people made their decision” during the presidential election, and “returning to a coalition approach would amount to distorting the democratic process.”
“Democracy is not about wanting to be Prime Minister at all costs, it is about knowing how to lose with dignity,” Koulamallah said in response to Masra’s implicit criticism of the current functioning of the government.
While Mahamat Déby Itno aims to unite by congratulating the political class for its “maturity” and initiating a
“national consultation” on a new forum for dialogue, these exchanges illustrate the persistence of fault lines over the interpretation of the transition agreements and the future of the country.
The May 5 meeting brought together 290 political leaders from the 336 officially recognised parties, in the presence of Prime Minister Allah Maye Halina, Senate President Haroun Kabadi, National Assembly President Ali Kolotou Tchaimi, Minister of State Limane Mahamat, and close associates of the Head of State.
AC/Sf/fss/as/APA