The Gulf state has been holding talks between Chadian politico-military parties to break the country’s political deadlock.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a phone call with the a top Chad official on Saturday, as talks to unite conflicting political factions continue in Doha.
The amir spoke to the Head of Chad’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) Mahamat Idriss Deby, according to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), in a phone call that touched on regional and international developments of common concern.
The news agency did not disclose further details on the conversation, which comes as talks continue to take place in Doha between politico-military parties.
Qatar has been hosting the talks since 13 March this year, bringing together more than 50 opposition groups in a bid to break a political deadlock in Chad by paving the way for long-promised, free and transparent elections.
The negotiations in Doha are preparatory talks ahead of the the national dialogue, scheduled to take place on 20 August following several delays.
Qatar had offered to host conflict-resolution talks in hopes helping all Chadian sides reach a political resolution. The Gulf state was named as the mediator following a unanimous decision by the negotiating parties.
The negotiations also come following a period of instability that has increased since last year after the killing of former President Idriss Deby, whose son came to power shortly after.
The late leader was killed in April 2021 during violent clashes between rebels from the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) and the Chadian armed forces.
The clashes took place during the country’s latest presidential elections, when Deby was re-elected at the time for a sixth-term.
General Mahamat llater named a 40-member transitional government in May of the same year that is scheduled to remain in office until the end of 2022. Deby also formed an interim parliament in September, the National Transitional Council (NTC), comprising of 93 members.
In early 2021 Qatar and Chad restored diplomatic ties, after the latter cut off relations with the Gulf state amid a 2017 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) crisis.
Chad had accused Qatar of seeking to destabilise the Central African country through its neighbour Libya. In turn, Doha said N’Djamena was taking part in a “political blackmail against the State of Qatar”.
Qatar’s mediation role in Chad goes back as far as 2009, when it sponsored the signing of the “Doha Accord”, also known as the “Darfur agreement”, between Khartoum and N’Djamena.
The agreement, co-sponsored with Libya, was signed amid tensions between Sudan and Chad in 2008, with both countries accusing each other of supporting insurgent groups and rebel attacks inside their territories.
Chad has long accused Sudan of supporting rebels who sought to oust late president Deby, whereas Sudan accused Chad of supporting rebels in the western province of Darfur.
Pending proposals
According to Al Araby Al Jadeed, Qatar presented the Chadian sides a draft peace agreement on 30 June instead of a previous “peace initiative” that was handed over to all parties mid last month.
Qatar reportedly withdrew the previous proposal after rebel groups disagreed with its provisions, which entailed the disarmament of the groups.
The opposition believed that the disarmament should take place along with the formation of a national army and under an elected government.
Under the new proposal, the disarmament is delayed.
President of the “Modern Chadian Generation for Change” (ANUC) movement Rakhis Ali Chahad told the Qatar-based news outlet that the remaining negotiators are waiting on the Qatari mediator to communicate with those who stepped out of the Doha talks.
Chahad added that they are waiting on the suspended delegation to provide its stance on the peace proposal presented at the end of June.
