Chad: between the CMT and the African Union, three months of relationship under tension
In the room of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, in Addis Ababa, on February 8, 2020. Paulina Zidi / RFI
Text by: Esdras Ndikumana Follow
3 min
After systematically sanctioning all countries where there has been a coup in recent years, the African Union made an exception for Chad.
After the takeover of power by the Transitional Military Council (CMT) three months ago, on April 20, the AU highlighted the circumstances described as exceptional which surrounded this coup.
But since then, CMT's relations with the AU remain strained.
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Egypt 2013, Burkina Faso 2014, Sudan 2019 or Mali 2020 ... The African Union had so far systematically sanctioned all “
unconstitutional changes of government
”.
On May 14, however, it decided to depart this time from its principles by choosing not to sanction Chad after the seizure of power by the Transitional Military Committee.
From a good source, the president of the AU Commission, the Chadian Moussa Faki Mahamat, is no stranger to this exemption, he who was present continuously in Ndjamena, during the decisive days, from April 19 to 29.
To justify this preferential treatment, the AU Peace and Security Council highlights the circumstances described as exceptional which surrounded this coup: the brutal death of Idriss Déby, the fragile ethnic balance in the country and its “
central
”
political and military role
in the Sahel.
It is this role in the region that has earned the junta decisive support from African countries and France.
Chad placed under "
high surveillance
"
In exchange, the African organization decided to place the country under "
high surveillance
" by appointing a High Representative responsible for ensuring that the Transition Charter would be revised "
urgently
", including in particular the principle of non-compliance. eligibility of the members of the military junta as well as
the respect of a transition of 18 months maximum
.
"
No form of extension of the transition period
(...)
can be acceptable
", warns the AU at this time.
Three months later, things have not changed and the CMT, which seems to have all the levers of power in hand, has not reviewed the Transition Charter.
In addition, the Congolese Basile Ikouébé, appointed in early June to head the AU liaison office in Ndjamena has not yet returned to his post, and above all, a standoff has just been delivered between the African Union and Chad after it
rejected the nomination of Senegalese Ibrahima Fall
as High Representative of the AU. The two parties assure today that the problem has been solved, without clearly saying whether Ibrahima Fall is kept in this post or not.
"
The African Union seems paralyzed for the moment while the CMT is now at its head
", regrets an African diplomat, explaining that "
the monumental error of the AU was not to sanction the Chadian military junta when she seized power by force
”.
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