Chad pardons 380 rebels in apparent peace gesture

26/3/2023 6:06

        Chad's interim president Mahamat Idriss Deby on Saturday pardoned 380 jailed members of an influential rebel group in an apparent bid to get it to join peace talks.
        
        Deby was installed by the military in 2021 after his father - longtime ruler Idriss Deby - was killed on the battlefield as his troops fought rebels from The Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT).
        
        He has since held peace talks with various rebel groups who had long challenged his father's regime, but FACT has not taken part, insisting the transitional authorities first make gestures of peace, including freeing its members.
        
        In a decree, Deby listed the FACT members he had pardoned, but did not provide a reason for the move. The document was dated Friday but released on Saturday.