Chad Gives Amnesty to Hundreds of Rebels and Political Prisoners

Chadian soldiers sitting under a billboard of late president Idriss Deby (farsnews)

The military government of Chad announced on November 29 that it was granting amnesty to almost 300 opposition figures and rebels. The amnesty represents the first of a series of pre-conditions the rebel groups set for their participation in negotiations to return to civilian rule.

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has ruled the country since April, when his father, also named Idriss Deby, was killed while fighting the rebel group Front for Change and Concord (FACT) in the north of the country. The elder Deby had ruled the country for 30 years after staging a coup in 1990; he engaged in harsh crackdowns on opposition figures and caused frequent delays and irregularities in legislative elections.  

Immediately after his father's death, Deby seized power by creating the Transitional Military Council (TMC), dissolving the Parliament, and repealing the constitution. He then promised that elections would be held in 18 months to return to civilian rule. In the aftermath of his power grab, Deby violently cracked down on protestors, killing at least nine and wounding dozens more. Despite this, the African Union and European Union both recognize Deby as the country's legitimate leader. France, Chad’s most important western ally, has been a strong supporter of Deby and continues to include Chad in its anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel region.  

In the months since his takeover, Deby has named a transitional Parliament that included some opposition figures but none from the main opposition party Wakit Tamma or any civil society organizations that have publicly criticized the military government. Deby has also not ruled out prolonging the 18-month transitional period if he feels the country has not met unspecified conditions.

The amnesty came after months of negotiations in Qatar and France between the rebels and the government. The results were a series of pre-conditions for the rebels' participation in reconciliation talks. Apart from the amnesty, they include returning all property seized from rebels by the government and an end to the repression of peaceful protests.  

The majority of the people released under the policy were FACT soldiers or from the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR). This Libya-based organization invaded northern Chad in 2019 and was repelled by French airstrikes. 39 political prisoners convicted of attacking the integrity of the State and crimes of opinion were also released by the amnesty. 

The move has been well-received by rebel groups. A FACT spokesman stated, "This amnesty will be a major step forward towards, among other things, dialogue, reconciliation, and peace, which all Chadians want." However, some senior UFR leaders, including the brother of its leader Timan Erdimi, were not included in the amnesty, raising concerns over how invested Deby truly is in the reconciliation process.