Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya H E Najla El Mangoush during the opening session of the Chad peace negotiations in Doha.
Peace and stability in Chad would accelerate harmony in the volatile Sahel region, H E Najla El Mangoush, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya, stressed during the opening session of the Chad peace negotiations in Doha yesterday.
The negotiations at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha aim to facilitate the transition of power from Gen Mahamat Idriss Deby, leading the strategic central African country toward new elections in 18 months. Deby assumed control of Chad’s transitional council and dissolved the parliament last year after his father, Idriss Deby died of wounds sustained while fighting rebels trying to overthrow his government.
The Libyan FM said Chad’s strategic importance as one of the main players in restoring stability in the African Sahel region makes these negotiations extremely important to the peace process in the region.
“We must join efforts and discard differences to overcome the common challenge of the spread of transnational organised crime and to eliminate extremist terrorist groups operating across our shared border,” Mangoush said.
The Sahel region is marred by social, climatic, economic and ideological challenges. More unsettling is the political crisis which cut across Mali, Chad, Sudan and Libya, leading to rise in terrorist activities in the region. The region’s porous border is also a breeding ground for instability in surrounding countries.
She stressed Libya’s resolve to the success of the comprehensive national dialogue on peace, security and stability, given the depth of its historical relations with Chad.
She noted that a “comprehensive national reconciliation between the various parties in Chad to achieve a sustainable peace will reflect positively on Chad, Libya and the Sahel region in general, considering the turbulent security conditions.”
Delegations from the opposition and armed rebel groups with African, American, European and Qatari officials attended the ceremony to mark the start of the talks, followed by closed doors negotiations between the Chadian sides.
Mangoush also lauded Qatar’s role in mediation among the factions and hosting the negotiations.
On the other hand, the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said the African Union is determined to steer Chad away from war and ensure lasting peace. The former Prime Minister called for sincerity and a patriotic approach to the negotiations to ensure peace in Chad.
“The reality in our country is changing. The government and leaders of national movements, I appeal to you all to go sincerely in word and deed, have faith in the homeland, open hearts and minds to meet each other and listen to the other.
“The truth is that the other is you. I say it because I am one of you, and I know a lot of you,” he said.
Mahamat said that achieving peace in Chad comes “through tolerance and the desire to build a new future based on justice and mutual trust among all through the prevailing of the voice of reason and the abandonment of selfishness.”
The AUC chair also praised Qatar’s mediation record, highlighting peace efforts in Darfur, mediation in Eritrea and Djibouti talks, and its efforts in Somalia and Afghanistan.
