ADDIS ABABA, (The Southern African Times) – The African Union (AU) on Saturday called on stakeholders in Chad to amicably find a lasting solution to political differences as it emphasized there can be no sustainable military solution to the country’s current challenges.
The statement was made by the Peace and Security Council of the 55-member pan-African bloc on Friday, which followed the Council’s recent meeting that dwelt upon the progress of the political transition in Chad and the AU Support Mechanism.
The Council “restates its call for unconditional dialogue between the transition government and all relevant Chadian stakeholders including opposition political parties and armed groups,” the statement said.
The Council further called on the Transition Government to respect the 18 months’ period for the completion of the transition and reiterates that the members of the Military Transition Council shall not be eligible to be candidates for the elections at the end of the transition period.
Noting the dire humanitarian situation in Chad aggravated by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appealed to all capable African countries as well as to the global humanitarian community to scale up support to the Chadian population in need.
Meanwhile, the AU called for the “urgent withdrawal from Chad, of all mercenaries and foreign fighters including those from Libya.”
Following the sudden death of former Chadian President Idriss Deby, the head of the transitional military council had in April assumed the functions of president of the republic.
The transition period is planned for 18 months and can be extended only once by the national transitional council, which exercises the legislative power after the dissolution of the National Assembly, according to the transitional charter.
