Liberation Front of Chad
Encyclopedia
The Liberation Front of Chad (Front de Libération du Tchad or FLT) was an insurgent group active between 1965 and 1976 during the first phase of the Chadian Civil War.
It was founded in Sudan
by Ahmed Hassan Musa
, an Islamic fundamentalist close to the Muslim Brotherhood
who was leader of the General Union of the Children of Chad (Union Générale des Fils du Tchad or UGFT), an islamic traditionalist party composed of exiles in Sudan, whose adherents were always recruited mostly among Ouaddai
ans. On September 7, Mussa with his UGFT followers created the Liberation Front of Chad (FLT), the first insurgent group formed to fight the Tombalbaye Regime; that the times were ready for an insurgent group was fully understood a month later, when the Mangalmé riots
started the civil war.
The next year the FLT united with Ibrahim Abatcha
's Chadian National Union
(UNT) at the Congress of Nyala
in Sudan between June 19 and 22. The new organization created was called National Liberation Front of Chad
(FROLINAT); Abatcha was secretary-general and it was governed by thirty-member committee equally composed of UNT and FLT members.
A part of the FLT under the leadership of Mussa retaked its authonomy already in late 1966; based in Sudan, it operated on the Chad-Sudan border, but never represented a true danger for the Chadian government, especially when confronted with the FROLINAT.
When Tombalbaye was overthrown in the 1975 coup
, and Félix Malloum
's new government made overtures to the insurgent groups, the FLT was one of the few that answered and came to terms with the central authorities in 1976, signing the end of the FLT's armed fight.
It was founded in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
by Ahmed Hassan Musa
Ahmed Hassan Musa
Ahmed Hassan Musa was a Chadian insurgent who participated to the first phase of the Chadian Civil War. An islamic fundamentalist close to the Muslim Brotherhood, he was head of the General Union of the Children of Chad , an islamic political party formed by Chadian exiles in Sudan...
, an Islamic fundamentalist close to the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
who was leader of the General Union of the Children of Chad (Union Générale des Fils du Tchad or UGFT), an islamic traditionalist party composed of exiles in Sudan, whose adherents were always recruited mostly among Ouaddai
Ouaddaï
Ouaddaï may refer to:* Ouaddaï Prefecture* Ouaddaï Region* Ouaddai Empire* Ouaddai plateau*Ouaddaï highlands...
ans. On September 7, Mussa with his UGFT followers created the Liberation Front of Chad (FLT), the first insurgent group formed to fight the Tombalbaye Regime; that the times were ready for an insurgent group was fully understood a month later, when the Mangalmé riots
Mangalmé riots
The Mangalmé riots are clashes that erupted in central Chad, starting in the village of Mangalmé in the Guéra Prefecture. Here on November 1, 1965, frustration among the muslim Moubi peasantry with what was perceived as government mismanagement and tax collection abuses erupted, rapidly involving...
started the civil war.
The next year the FLT united with Ibrahim Abatcha
Ibrahim Abatcha
Ibrahim Abatcha was a Muslim Chadian politician reputed of Marxist leanings and associations. His political activity started during the decolonization process of Chad from France, but after the country's independence he was forced to go in exile due to the increasing authoritarism of the country's...
's Chadian National Union
Chadian National Union
The Chadian National Union was a radical Muslim political party founded in 1958 in Chad by Issa Dana, Mahamut Outman and Abba Siddick. Created to lobby the NO-vote to the referendum on Chad's entry in the French Community, the party advocated drastic political reforms, to be achieved if necessary...
(UNT) at the Congress of Nyala
Nyala, Sudan
Nyala is the capital of South Darfur state in the western part of the Sudan. Nyala is located at elevation 2,208 feet in the Darfur historical region.- History :...
in Sudan between June 19 and 22. The new organization created was called National Liberation Front of Chad
FROLINAT
-Origins:The organization was born as the result of a political union between the leftist Chadian National Union , led by Ibrahim Abatcha, and the General Union of the Children of Chad which was led by Ahmed Hassan Musa. Musa was close to the Muslim Brotherhood and was an Islamist...
(FROLINAT); Abatcha was secretary-general and it was governed by thirty-member committee equally composed of UNT and FLT members.
A part of the FLT under the leadership of Mussa retaked its authonomy already in late 1966; based in Sudan, it operated on the Chad-Sudan border, but never represented a true danger for the Chadian government, especially when confronted with the FROLINAT.
When Tombalbaye was overthrown in the 1975 coup
Chadian coup of 1975
The Chadian coup of 1975 was in considerable part generated by the growing distrust of the President of Chad, François Tombalbaye, for the army. This distrust came in part from the Chadian Armed Forces incapacity to deal with the rebellion that was inflaming the Muslim north from when the rebel...
, and Félix Malloum
Félix Malloum
General Félix Malloum or Félix Malloum Ngakoutou Bey-Ndi was a Chadian politician from the south. He served as an officer in the Chadian Military and as a member of the ruling Chadian Progressive Party . He later became the Chief of Staff with the rank of colonel...
's new government made overtures to the insurgent groups, the FLT was one of the few that answered and came to terms with the central authorities in 1976, signing the end of the FLT's armed fight.