Youssouf Saleh Abbas
Encyclopedia
Youssouf Saleh Abbas is a Chad
ian political figure who was Prime Minister of Chad from April 2008 to March 2010. He was previously a diplomatic adviser and special representative of President Idriss Déby
.
in Ouaddai Region
, in the east of Chad. He studied in the Soviet Union
and then in France
, earning a master's degree in international law. Back in Chad, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as head of the Multilateral Cooperation Division and as Director of International Cooperation from November 20, 1979 to January 30, 1981. He was then diplomatic advisor to Goukouni Oueddei
, the President of the Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT), from June 1, 1981 to December 25, 1981 and Director of the Cabinet of the Head of State from December 6, 1981 until Oueddei's ouster on June 7, 1982.
Later, Abbas was advisor to the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from November 20, 1992 to December 15, 1996. He was also Vice-President of the Sovereign National Conference, which was held from January 1993 to April 1993. From December 16, 1996 to August 13, 1997, he was Director-General of the Ministry of Planning and Cooperation.
Abbas, in opposition to President Déby, joined the Tibesti-based Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad
(MDJT), a rebel group led by Youssouf Togoïmi
, when it was formed in October 1998, serving from Paris (he lived in exile in France for several years) as the group's External Coordinator. On October 31, 2001, he resigned from the MDJT, along with three other members of the MDJT's External Coordination, due to what he described as Togoïmi's "excesses". After an agreement with the government, he returned to Chad. He joined with Déby in 2006 and became Déby's Advisor for International Relations and Cooperation on December 24, 2006, as well as Déby's Special Representative to the European Union Force
and the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
(MINURCAT) on November 17, 2007. He remained in his posts as Advisor and Special Representative until his appointment as Prime Minister.
. Speaking on the radio afterwards, Abbas said that he would seek to work with other political parties when forming his government. He noted that popular expectations were high but said that his task would not be easy. The appointment of Abbas, an easterner, marked a departure from Déby's standard practice of appointing prime ministers from the south (Déby himself is a northerner) and was presumably intended to help resolve the rebellion in the east. At the time of his appointment, Abbas was considered a relative unknown among the public, but he was well regarded in political circles.
The various Chadian rebel groups reacted differently to the appointment of Abbas. Mahamat Nouri
of the National Alliance said that no fundamental change could occur under Déby and described the appointment as a meaningless "non-event". The Union of Forces for Change and Democracy said that it would wait to see how much room for maneuver Déby would give Abbas, while the Rally of the Forces for Change said that it would wait to see what Abbas' political programme would be.
The main coalition of opposition parties, the Coordination of Political Parties for Defence of the Constitution (CPDC), had previously suspended talks with the government following the February 2008 battle of N'Djamena
, during which three opposition leaders (including CPDC spokesman Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh
) had been arrested. Following the appointment of Abbas, the CPDC agreed to join the government in a meeting with Abbas on April 19, although some in the coalition, including Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh's Party for Liberties and Development (PLD), disagreed with this decision. They wanted Abbas to disclose what had happened to Saleh (who was still missing) in exchange for their participation in the government.
Abbas's government was announced on April 23, and it included four members of the CPDC in key portfolios: Defense (held by Wadal Abdelkader Kamougué), Justice (held by Jean Alingué), Planning, Urban Development and Housing (held by Hamit Mahamat Dahalob), and Agriculture (held by Naimbaye Nossunian). The PLD refused to participate because Saleh had not been released. The government included 25 ministers and eight secretaries of state. A key task of the government led by Abbas was the implementation of the agreement between governing and opposition political parties, which was signed in August 2007 and was intended to lead to a parliamentary election in 2009
.
Abbas remained in office for nearly two years. After December 2009, he held no further meetings of the government, and it was believed that there were "political differences" between Abbas and Déby. Abbas submitted his resignation to Déby on March 5, 2010 and Déby immediately appointed Emmanuel Nadingar
to replace him.
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
ian political figure who was Prime Minister of Chad from April 2008 to March 2010. He was previously a diplomatic adviser and special representative of President Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby
General Idriss Déby Itno is the President of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Déby is of the Bidyat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. He added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006.-Rise to power:...
.
Political career
Abbas was born in AbéchéAbéché
-Demographics:Demographic evolution:-References:...
in Ouaddai Region
Ouaddaï Region
Ouaddaï is one of the 22 regions of Chad and its capital is Abéché. It is composed by the former Ouaddaï Prefecture. Its main ethnic groups are the Arabs and the Maba. The economy is based on subsistence agriculture and breeding...
, in the east of Chad. He studied in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and then in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, earning a master's degree in international law. Back in Chad, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as head of the Multilateral Cooperation Division and as Director of International Cooperation from November 20, 1979 to January 30, 1981. He was then diplomatic advisor to Goukouni Oueddei
Goukouni Oueddei
Goukouni Oueddei is a Chadian political figure. He was Head of State of Chad from 1979 to 1982. He is currently in exile.-Biography:...
, the President of the Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT), from June 1, 1981 to December 25, 1981 and Director of the Cabinet of the Head of State from December 6, 1981 until Oueddei's ouster on June 7, 1982.
Later, Abbas was advisor to the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from November 20, 1992 to December 15, 1996. He was also Vice-President of the Sovereign National Conference, which was held from January 1993 to April 1993. From December 16, 1996 to August 13, 1997, he was Director-General of the Ministry of Planning and Cooperation.
Abbas, in opposition to President Déby, joined the Tibesti-based Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad
Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad
Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad is a Chadian rebel group that tried to oust the government of the current Chadian president Idriss Déby from October 1998-2003...
(MDJT), a rebel group led by Youssouf Togoïmi
Youssouf Togoïmi
Youssouf Togoïmi was a leading Chadian politician who served in the government under President Idriss Déby but subsequently led a rebel group, the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad , against Déby....
, when it was formed in October 1998, serving from Paris (he lived in exile in France for several years) as the group's External Coordinator. On October 31, 2001, he resigned from the MDJT, along with three other members of the MDJT's External Coordination, due to what he described as Togoïmi's "excesses". After an agreement with the government, he returned to Chad. He joined with Déby in 2006 and became Déby's Advisor for International Relations and Cooperation on December 24, 2006, as well as Déby's Special Representative to the European Union Force
EUFOR Tchad/RCA
European Union Force Chad/CAR, also EUFOR Tchad/RCA after the French, was the European Union mission in Chad and the Central African Republic , authorized in late 2007. EUFOR Chad/CAR was authorized under the same United Nations Security Council resolution that mandated MINURCAT, a UN force tasked...
and the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad was a United Nations peacekeeping mission established by the United Nations Security Council on September 25, 2007 to provide a multidimensional presence of up to 350 police and military personnel to eastern Chad and north-eastern...
(MINURCAT) on November 17, 2007. He remained in his posts as Advisor and Special Representative until his appointment as Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister
On April 15, 2008, Déby appointed Abbas as Prime Minister, dismissing Prime Minister Delwa Kassiré KoumakoyeDelwa Kassiré Koumakoye
Nouradine Delwa Kassiré Koumakoye is a Chadian politician and the head of the National Rally for Development and Progress political party. After serving as a minister in the government during the 1980s and early 1990s; he was Prime Minister of Chad from November 6, 1993 to April 8, 1995 and again...
. Speaking on the radio afterwards, Abbas said that he would seek to work with other political parties when forming his government. He noted that popular expectations were high but said that his task would not be easy. The appointment of Abbas, an easterner, marked a departure from Déby's standard practice of appointing prime ministers from the south (Déby himself is a northerner) and was presumably intended to help resolve the rebellion in the east. At the time of his appointment, Abbas was considered a relative unknown among the public, but he was well regarded in political circles.
The various Chadian rebel groups reacted differently to the appointment of Abbas. Mahamat Nouri
Mahamat Nouri
General Mahamat Nouri is a Chadian insurgent leader who currently commands the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development . A Muslim from northern Chad, he began his career as a FROLINAT rebel, and when the group's Second Army split in 1976 he sided with his kinsman Hissène Habré...
of the National Alliance said that no fundamental change could occur under Déby and described the appointment as a meaningless "non-event". The Union of Forces for Change and Democracy said that it would wait to see how much room for maneuver Déby would give Abbas, while the Rally of the Forces for Change said that it would wait to see what Abbas' political programme would be.
The main coalition of opposition parties, the Coordination of Political Parties for Defence of the Constitution (CPDC), had previously suspended talks with the government following the February 2008 battle of N'Djamena
Battle of N'Djamena (2008)
The Battle of N'Djamena began on February 2, 2008 when Chadian rebel forces opposed to Chadian President Idriss Déby entered N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, after a three-day advance through the country. The rebels were initially successful, taking a large part of the city and attacking the heavily...
, during which three opposition leaders (including CPDC spokesman Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh
Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh
Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh was a Chadian politician and opposition leader who headed the Party for Liberties and Development .-Early life and education:...
) had been arrested. Following the appointment of Abbas, the CPDC agreed to join the government in a meeting with Abbas on April 19, although some in the coalition, including Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh's Party for Liberties and Development (PLD), disagreed with this decision. They wanted Abbas to disclose what had happened to Saleh (who was still missing) in exchange for their participation in the government.
Abbas's government was announced on April 23, and it included four members of the CPDC in key portfolios: Defense (held by Wadal Abdelkader Kamougué), Justice (held by Jean Alingué), Planning, Urban Development and Housing (held by Hamit Mahamat Dahalob), and Agriculture (held by Naimbaye Nossunian). The PLD refused to participate because Saleh had not been released. The government included 25 ministers and eight secretaries of state. A key task of the government led by Abbas was the implementation of the agreement between governing and opposition political parties, which was signed in August 2007 and was intended to lead to a parliamentary election in 2009
Chadian parliamentary election, 2009
A parliamentary election was held in Chad on Sunday, 13 February 2011; it was the first such election since 2002. The administration of President Idriss Déby has been in power since 1990...
.
Abbas remained in office for nearly two years. After December 2009, he held no further meetings of the government, and it was believed that there were "political differences" between Abbas and Déby. Abbas submitted his resignation to Déby on March 5, 2010 and Déby immediately appointed Emmanuel Nadingar
Emmanuel Nadingar
Emmanuel Djelassem Nadingar is a Chadian politician who has been Prime Minister of Chad since March 2010.-Political career:A native of Bebidja in southwestern Chad, Nadingar was born in 1951. He obtained a degree in accounting in Brazzaville....
to replace him.