Chad president, rebels sign peace deal

October 25, 2007 (TRIPOLI) — Chadian President Idriss Deby and leaders of Chad’s four main rebel groups signed Thursday a peace accord after the latest flare-up of unrest in the central African country, a Libyan official said.

The agreement was signed by Chad’s infrastructure minister Adoum Younousmi, and by the heads of the UFDD (Union of Forces for Democracy and Development), UFDD-F (UFDD-Fundamental), RFC (Rally of Forces for Change) and CNT (Chadian National Concord) rebel groups.

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir were also present at the signing at the Libyan town of Sirte, 600 kilometres (370 miles) east of Tripoli.

The rebel movements from eastern Chad, bordering Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, had been invited to Libya to ratify an accord which had been initialled in Tripoli on October 3.

The terms of the agreement include an immediate ceasefire, the release of prisoners and “total respect for the Chadian constitution.”

Kadhafi, in a brief statement, said he would act as guarantor for the application of the peace agreement, said a Libyan official who did not want to be identified.

“I hope that this agreement will be the last step towards peace,” said Kadhafi. He called on the rebel groups to convert themselves into political parties.

Even before Thursday’s peace deal, fighting had already died down to the point where there had been few major operations in recent months.

But the situation had remained tense in eastern Chad in recent weeks. The European Union is due to start deploying troops there next month.

Inter-communal violence there this month left 20 people dead as former rebels waiting to be integrated into the army got caught up in clashes.

The tensions prompted the government to declare a 12-day state of emergency in the north and west of the country from October 16.

(Reuters)