Things moved very quickly in Chad. Indeed, tried and convicted at first instance and on appeal for acts of terrorism, enlistment of minors, attack on national security and attack on the life of the Head of State, 380 rebels of the Front pour l’alternance et la concorde au Chad (FACT) were pardoned and released. Arrested since 2021 following the death of ex-president Idriss Deby Itno, they now breathe the air of regained freedom. So decided the President of the Transition, Mahamat Idriss Deby who, it will be remembered, had made the commitment to proceed with the release of the prisoners of war. It is to his credit for having kept his promise especially in this pivotal period that Chad is experiencing where rebellions are growing like mushrooms. We must salute the flexibility of Déby junior all the more since it follows another gesture of appeasement which is the return to the fold of certain political personalities in exile for a few years and this, thanks to the signing of the Doha Agreement which promoted the holding of a Sovereign Inclusive National Dialogue (DNIS). Conscious therefore that the conclusions of the DNIS have divided the Chadians more, Deby son now seeks to pose as a unifier not only to loosen the noose around him, but also to reassure national and international opinion which did not hide its apprehensions especially following the bloody day of October 20, 2022 during which several corpses were left on the floor. The act is strong, the symbolism also especially that the grace granted to these FACT fighters intervenes during the period of Ramadan where forgiveness and tolerance must be shared values. That said, the whole thing is not to release prisoners of war. It will be necessary to ensure their social reintegration, and this, through a fair and equitable sharing of the wealth of the country which, for years, only benefited Déby senior and his clan. Otherwise, the same causes are likely to produce the same effects if some will continue to drive while the others drag the devil by the tail. If he wants to get Chad out of the rut and mess, Deby Jr. can and must do better. He must multiply the gestures of appeasement in favor of his critics, some of whom, as we know, were forced to leave the country the day following the repressed demonstration of October 20th. Why not invite them to return to the fold with the assurance of never being worried? The same is true for the politico-military groups that are not signatories to the Doha Agreement to whom Mahamat Idriss Deby would do better to reach out; so much do they still have a formidable capacity for nuisance capable of putting Chad on fire and sword. As proof, among them, is the FACT which does not count for butter and whose leader, sentenced to life in absentia, is under the blow of an international arrest warrant issued by the Chadian Justice. Can we be reconciled in the persecution? The question remains.
Boundi OUOBA
