On Saturday, Chadian Foreign Minister, Mahamat Saleh Annadif said that “southern Libya is riddled with many problems, and is a real concern for the Sahel region.”
At the conclusion of an African Union summit in Niger’s capital, Niamey, Annadif received the Libyan delegation. The two sides discussed security issues and developing cooperation, according to the newspaper, Le Journal de Tchad.
Annadif added that they believe that “there will be no peace or security as long as Libya does not witness political stability.” He pointed out that the Libyan issue is primarily an African issue, and called for solutions, within the framework of the African Union and through dialogue.
The FM also stressed the need to strengthen security cooperation. “The security of Chad and Libya is closely linked to a very sensitive border region, which is the target of illegal activities of terrorism and banditry,” he said.
In turn, the Libyan delegation welcomed the Doha peace agreement, as “a step towards a lasting peace in both Chad and Libya.”
The delegations appealed to the international community to support the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration process. This is in order to allow the return of rebel groups from Libyan territory.
The shared border has witnessed great tension since the assassination of President Idriss Déby by rebels, a day after he announced his sixth term as President.
A leader of a Chadian rebel group called for the formation of a reconciliation committee to bring back the Chadian fighters from Libya. He described them as “an important human resource for the army,” according to Chad’s newspaper Al-Wahida.
Mahamat Hassani Bulmay, the former Secretary-General of the “Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic,” warned of the absence of immunization in Chad against the escalation of rebel fighters, “because there are many Chadian youths in Libya.”
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