Government, rebels sign peace deal

The Chadian government signed a peace agreement on Monday with the rebel Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJT), following three days of negotiations in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, news organisations reported. The agreement provides for an immediate ceasefire, a general amnesty for prisoners held by both sides, and the involvement of the MDJT in the government and other state institutions, Libyan state television reported. The two sides also agreed to set up a tripartite follow-up committee responsible for the implementation of the peace deal, which was brokered by Libya. The committee will comprise representatives of the MDJT and the governments of Chad and Libya. The MDJT, headed by Youssouf Togoimi, launched a rebellion in the Tibesti region of northern Chad in 1998. Togoimi had been defence minister in the government of President Idriss Deby, who seized power from Hissene Habre in 1990 and was elected head of state in 1996. Monday's agreement was signed by the Chadian Interior Minister, Abderahmane Moussa, MDJT representative Adam Togoi, and Libya's Minister for African Affairs, Ali Abd al-Salam al-Turiki, news reports said.