In Chad, freed rebel prisoners call for leader’s release

In March, Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Idriss Deby, pardoned 380 jailed members of a rebel group accused of killing his father in 2021.

With the midday sun high over N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, Alhadj Barh hugged his wife for the first time in more than two years. It marked a fresh start for a man who had been imprisoned until earlier that day for fighting in a rebel army accused of assassinating the president.

In an apparent peace gesture, Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Idriss Deby, pardoned 380 imprisoned members of the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), a rebel group accused of murdering his father – former ruler Idriss Deby – in March. – to have killed in 2021.

Barh was among a group of detainees who were pardoned and released near the capital in early April.

Sitting at home next to his wife and four daughters, Barh said he would be happy to help facilitate peace if the government pursues an inclusive approach.

“We’re not bullies,” he said. “If the situation changes, I will actively contribute to national reconciliation.”

The military government led by the younger Deby has started peace talks with several rebel groups that had long challenged his father’s regime, but FACT has not taken part, insisting that the transitional authorities release its members first.

Although hundreds have been pardoned, most of the group’s leaders, including leader Mahamat Mahadi Ali, remain in custody.

Another recently released detainee, former math teacher and FACT member Ouckonga Guelmine Kemnda, said calls for unity would ring hollow without their release.

“The government says it is open to dialogue and yet the person with whom it is supposed to enter into dialogue is condemned,” said the 46-year-old, sitting among his extended family.

“If we want to talk to someone, we have to stay open,” he added.

The transitional authorities have not commented on the detainees’ statements or prospects for the continuation of peace negotiations. In any case, the government will remain in office until the elections scheduled for October 2024.

In August 2022, government representatives signed an agreement and began negotiations in what was called a “pre-dialogue” with hundreds of rebels and civil society, with the government of Qatar acting as a mediator.