Chad's foreign minister quits over row with leaders amid peace talks

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - Chad’s Foreign Minister Cherif Mahamat Zene resigned on Monday, citing differences with politicians in the transitional government.

Zene steps down as the military government of Mahamat Idriss Deby pursues peace talks with rebels.

He served as foreign minister from 2017 to 2020 under former President Idriss Deby, who died in a clash with rebels last year after three decades in power.

The military took over after Deby’s death and installed his son as interim president.

He was reappointed as foreign minister of the transitional government in May 2021.

The transitional government signed a deal with more than 30 opposition and rebel groups last month to launch a national reconciliation dialogue, although the Central African country’s main rebel force refused to participate in the process.

In the resignation letter he shared on social media, Zene said his “commitment and will” to serve the country had been “thwarted by parallel initiatives and actions of certain members” of the government.

Zene said his department had been stripped of all prerogatives and was relegated to the role of “a mere extra.”

Terming the situation “confusing and unacceptable,” he said it was no longer “appropriate nor responsible” to continue as Chad’s foreign minister.

He also warned that the transition ongoing in Chad since April 2021 remains “full of challenges and uncertainties.”