Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1016th meeting held on 3 August 2021 on the Report of the AU Commission on Progress of the Political Transition in Chad and the AU Support Mechanism (AUSM),
Peace and Security Council,
Recalling all its previous decisions on the situation in Chad, in particular, Communique [PSC/PR/COMM.(CMXCVI)] adopted at its 996th meeting held on 14 May 2021 and Communique [PAS/PR/COMM.(CMXCIII) adopted at its 993rd meeting held on 22 April 2021;
Noting the opening remarks by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cameroon to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for the month of August 2021, H.E. Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono and the presentations by the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, as well as by the AU High Representative for Chad and Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission in Chad, H.E. Ambassador Basile Ikouebe;
Further noting the statements by the Permanent Representative of Chad to the AU, H.E. Ambassador Mahamat Ali Hassan and the representatives of the Republic of Congo as Chairperson of the Economic Community of Central African States, (ECCAS), the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, H.E. Ambassador Mamman Nuhu, as well as the ECCAS Secretariat, the Community of Sahel-Sahara Countries (CEN-SAD) and the European Union (EU);
Mindful of the linkages between the security situation in Libya, Chad and the entire Central Africa, Lake Chad Basin and Sahel-Sahara regions, as well as the imperative of concerted and sustained efforts to collectively address the situation in Chad; and
Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,
1. Notes with satisfaction the progress made thus far, including the establishment of a civilian Transition Government, the process for the formation of the National Transitional Council (NTC), the official adoption of a roadmap for the Transition, requiring substantial financial resources and comprising of three major components, namely: the strengthening of security and defense, the organization of a national dialogue and the consolidation of national unity, as well as the release of political prisoners, the return of political exiles, and the legalization of political activities;
2. In this regard, commends the Chadian authorities for creating an enabling environment for the transition; and encourages them to expedite the implementation of the remaining transitional tasks, and to recommit to complete the transition within the stipulated 18 months timeframe;
3. Welcomes the steps taken by the Chairperson of the Commission in implementation of Communiqué [PSC/BR/COMM. (CMXCVI)] of its 996th meeting, in particular the appointment of H.E. Ambassador Basile Ikouebe as the AU High Representative, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission (SRCC) and Head of the AU Office in Ndjamena; and equally welcoming the appointment of the Special Envoy of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to Chad, H.E. Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, and encourages the close collaboration between the two towards consolidating support for the political transition in Chad;
4. Emphasizes that there can be no sustainable military solution to the challenges facing Chad and that only through a genuine and inclusive national dialogue, can the Chadian stakeholders amicably and consensually find a lasting solution to their political differences; restates its call for unconditional dialogue between the Transition Government and all relevant Chadian stakeholders including opposition political parties and armed groups and, in this regard, commends the role of the Government of Republic of Togo in mediating the negotiations between the Transition Government and the armed groups;
5. Welcomes with satisfaction, the organization of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on 4 June and 30 July 2021 and the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) on 25 May 2021 in Abuja, both dedicated to the consideration of the sociopolitical and security situation in the Republic of Chad;
6. Further reaffirms the call on the Transition Government to respect the 18 months’ period for the completion of the transition, and reiterates that the members of the Military Transition Council shall not be eligible to be candidates for the elections at the end of the Transition;
7. Encourages the Commission of Inquiry to expedite the investigations into the brutal killing of former President Idriss Deby Itno, in order to bring the perpetrators to justice;
8. Renews the call for the urgent withdrawal from Chad, of all mercenaries and foreign fighters including those from Libya and, in this regard requests the AU Commission, in full coordination with Member States, to expedite the finalization of the AU Policy Paper on addressing the potential impact of the withdrawal of foreign troops and mercenaries from Libya on the Central Africa region and the Sahel and to submit for final approval by the PSC;
9. Urges the Transition Government of Chad and the Government of Central African Republic to expedite the investigations into the border incidences of June 2021, while welcoming the current joint efforts by the two countries towards finding amicable solutions of the border-related disputes; in the spirit of good neighborliness and cordial bilateral relations;
10. Underlines the need to redouble efforts to address the scourge of proliferation of illicit weapons, in line with 2010 Central African Convention for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and all Parts and Components that can be used for their Manufacture, Repair and Assembly (Kinshasa Convention);
11. Calls on technical and financial partners to spare no effort in supporting, through all possible means, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to enable it continue to record successes against the terrorist nebula in the Lake Chad Basin area: such support may occur in the provision of resources for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for military operations as well as financial resources;
12. Once again, notes with concern, the dire humanitarian situation in Chad aggravated by the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and, in this respect, reiterates its appeal to all AU Member States, which are in a position to do so, as well as to the rest of the humanitarian community, to scale up support to the population in need;
13. Commends Member States hosting refugees having fled Chad as from 20 April 2021 and recognizes the need for the International Community to take into account burden sharing related to the presence of Chadian refugees in their territories.
14. Underscores the importance of redoubled efforts in mobilizing the required resources for the AUSM, appeals to international partners and philanthropists to make generous contributions in order to facilitate a successful transition;
15. In this context, also appeals to the of the AU Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) Sub-Committee on General Supervision and Coordination on Budgetary, Financial and Administrative Matters, to expeditiously convene to consider and approve the proposed supplementary budget on the AUSM through the EU Early Response Mechanism (ERM), in order to optimally render full support to the transition in Chad;
16. Commends all regional actors, including ECCAS, CENSAD and LCBC, as well as development partners for their continued commitment to support the political transition in Chad, particularly the EU for pledging the sum of 3 million Euros under the ERM in favor of the AUSM;
17. Notes the first quarterly progress report on the political transition in Chad by the Commission and looks forward to receiving the next quarterly progress report of the AU Commission on the political transition in Chad and on the AU Support Mechanism;
18. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Source: Relief Web