Chadian opposition leader calls for reconciliation

Succès Masra, the leader of the Chadian opposition, met with Transitional President Mahamat Deby as part of the government’s national reconciliation initiative, which was started by the military.

Alongside an envoy from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, who helped bring both parties to an agreement in Kinshasa last month, they had discussions at the presidency on Monday.

More proposals will be made to “make the transition acceptable to everyone, to land softly with elections where each and every one can present their societal projects to Chadians,” Mr. Masra told the BBC. “It was the first meeting which will be followed by others to enable us respect the agreement.”

Barely a day had passed since he had urged his supporters at a large rally to accept reconciliation with the transitional government rather than exact revenge for the violent suppression of protests in October 2022. This was when he met with the head of the armed forces.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr. Masra stated, “We are people who intend to bring the country to a better destination for all Chadians, and in order to achieve that we must distinguish between justice and revenge.”

Chad should be “part of modernity and democracy, without which the future of this country cannot be guaranteed,” the Transformers party leader added.

A referendum on the country’s new constitution is scheduled for December 17, and Mr. Masra’s message of appeasement comes ahead of that date. With the passage of the referendum, the military transition will come to an end and civilian rule will resume in the nation.

However, some opposition figures have demanded that the referendum be boycotted and criticized the government for granting amnesty to those responsible for the violent incidents on October 20, 2018, which, according to authorities, resulted in the deaths of about fifty people.