Under Qatari sponsorship, the signing of a peace agreement between the Chadian authorities and opposition groups

The transitional authorities in Chad and opposition groups signed, today, Monday in Doha, a peace agreement under the auspices of Qatar, paving the way for a comprehensive national reconciliation dialogue to be held in Chad later this month.

The signing of the Doha Peace Agreement comes after talks in Qatar that extended since last March between the two sides, in the presence of representatives of the African Union and a number of regional and international organizations.

The head of the Military Council in Chad, Mohamed Idriss Deby, said that the dialogue is a first step towards planning long-awaited elections.

For his part, Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani affirmed that Doha will spare no effort to ensure the preservation of peace in Chad.

"We strongly look forward to the peace agreement being a turning point on the path to stability in the country," the Qatari foreign minister added.

He expressed his hope that "the rest of the other Chadian groups will join the path of peace to achieve the aspirations of the people."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani called on "countries that are still experiencing conflicts to open up to initiatives aimed at laying the foundations for peace."

On April 20 of last year, the Chadian army announced the death of the country's president, Idriss Deby, 68, as a result of wounds he sustained during a visit to his forces in the north, where armed men are launching an attack to topple his ruling regime since 1990.

Deby died hours after announcing that he had officially won a sixth term in the presidential elections held on April 11.

After his death, a transitional military council, headed by his son Muhammad, 37, was formed to lead the country for 18 months, followed by elections.

In addition to establishing a Ministry of National Reconciliation, Déby appointed an adviser for reconciliation and dialogue at the Presidency of the Republic, and he called on all parties, including armed movements and rebel groups, to participate in the national dialogue.