Zakaria Ousman Ramadan, director of the Chadian center for strategic studies, analyses for Apa news the state of Chad, one year after the death of President Idriss Déby Itno.
In the aftermath of President Idriss Deby’s death, a year ago, a transition led by a military committee headed by one of his sons was announced. How is the country today?
Idriss Deby Itno has marked Chad by his longevity in power. He has spent thirty years at the head of the country. This is not a short time.
For Chadians born in the 1990s, he is the only head of state they have known. This longevity explains the solidity of the system of power that he built and that he bequeathed to his political heirs, who today hold the country.
How long will they keep such a legacy? Can they hold on as long as he did? The answer is difficult, even if a very large proportion of Chadians recognize themselves today in the political system built by the late president.
An inter-Chadian pre-dialogue was launched on March 13 in Doha under the patronage of Qatar. The meeting is still ongoing. What are the objectives of this dialogue?
The Doha pre-dialogue is supposed to be the beginning of a process that should lead to an inclusive dialogue on the transition back to constitutional order, scheduled for early May in N’Djamena, the capital. The meeting brings together representatives of more than 50 political-military groups and nearly 200 delegates, including 25 representatives of the Transitional Military Council, led by Deby’s son Mahamat.
This is a sort of “warm-up” which aims to smooth out the edges and define the modalities of participation of all the political and military actors by ensuring the conditions of serenity and security during the meeting and especially by offering those who request it an absolute guarantee for their physical integrity. The dark periods in Chad’s history have been marked by political violence and disputes that have severely damaged the social fabric against a backdrop of score-settling and endless reprisals. In Doha, the actors in this pre-dialogue have the essential task of ironing out misunderstandings and clearing hearts and minds.
Has the Doha process made any progress?
The fact that the main actors in the Chadian crisis were able to meet in the same place is a step forward. But getting major results from such a meeting in only 30 days is very difficult. In its 61 years of independence, Chad has known only eight to twelve years of peace and stability.
What is important, therefore, is not the speed and pace of the discussions. But the direction they should take. Because of the immensity of the misunderstandings and resentments accumulated over many years, the road to peace will naturally be very long. The important thing is that the path is now clear.
LOS/lb/abj/APA