KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Chad’s military government has agreed to allow the return of opposition leader Succes Masra, who fled the country last year amid a political clampdown, the Congolese presidency announced Tuesday.
Abderaman Koulamallah, the Chadian minister of reconciliation, signed an agreement on Monday with Masra’s political party that allows the exiled politician and other opposition figures to return, according to a statement read on state television by Congo’s presidential spokeswoman Tina Salama.
Masra, the president of The Transformers opposition party, fled Chad in October last year after the military government suspended his party and six others in a clampdown on protests against interim leader Mahamat Idriss Deby’s decision to extend his time in power by two more years. More than 60 people were killed in the protests, which the government condemned as “an attempted coup.”
No date was announced for Masra’s return in the agreement, which was initiated by Central Africa’s regional bloc and had appointed Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi as an envoy to help facilitate Chad’s transition to civilian rule. The agreement was signed in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa.
“In addition, the (regional bloc) ECAC’s facilitation mission, led by Félix Tshisekedi, president of the DRC, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Chadian people in easing the political climate with a view to the organization of democratic, free, transparent and peaceful elections,” Salama said.
She added that the agreement was signed in “good faith” between the two parties, attempting to allay fears that Masra could be arrested again upon his return.
Rudel Tuka, a Congolese political analyst, said the deal could help advance the peace and transitional process in Chad, where Deby has ruled as the head of a transitional government after his father, former President Idriss Deby Itno, died in April 2021.
“This agreement is a success for mediation. Everything now rests on the political will of Chadian political actors,” said Tuka.
2024-12-23 23:201545 view
2024-12-23 23:182586 view
2024-12-23 22:292477 view
2024-12-23 21:57190 view
2024-12-23 21:18880 view
2024-12-23 20:40817 view
It’s incredible how the narrative turns so quickly for NFL teams after a victory, compared to anothe
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore prosecutors on Wednesday announced the arrest of a man in the cold case h
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Republican attorneys general attacked the Biden administration’s stated goal of pur