Kano Accord
Encyclopedia
The Kano Accord was preceded by the collapse of central authority in Chad
in 1979, when the Prime Minister Hissène Habré
had unleashed on February 12 his militias
against the capital N'Djamena
and the president Félix Malloum
. To route the President's forces, Habré had allied himself with the rival warlord Goukouni Oueddei
, who entered in N'Djamena on February 22 at the head of his People's Armed Forces
(FAP).
The situation allarmed the country's neighbours, worried of a possible spill-over; as a result, already on February 16 the Sudan
ese minister Izz Eldine Hamed had arrived in N'Djamena where he negotiated a ceasefire
among the rival factions. The Sudanese proposed organizing a peace conference in neutral territory, and Nigeria
's President Olusegun Obasanjo offered Kano
, in Northern Nigeria, as seat for the conference. He also invited as observers Chad's neighbouring countries (Libya
, Sudan, Cameroon
, Central African Republic
, Niger
).
The conference startd with some days of delay on March 11, with the arrival of Malloum, Habré, Goukouni and Aboubakar Abdel Rahmane
. Among the four, Malloum represented the French
-backed national government, Habré and Goukouni the county's biggest insurgent forces, while Aboubakar, leader of a minor insurgent group, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Chad
(MPLT), could count on the support of Nigeria.
These four signed the Kano Accord on National Reconciliation on March 16, and it became effective on March 23, when Malloum and Habré formally resigned. The six points of the accord were:
It also projected the foundation of a Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT), which would have governed Chad till new elections. Malloum and Habré were excluded from the GUNT, but all of the four factions present at the conference would have two ministries in the Provvisional State Council that would govern in Chad till the full establishment of the GUNT. Goukouni was to be President of this Council.
The French troops, present in Chad from 1978, were to leave the country and be substituted with a multi-national Africa
n peacekeeping force under the aegis of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), represented principally by Nigerian troops.
The Kano Accord was a failure, for it offended Libyan interests by excluding pro-Libyan factions like Abba Siddick
's "Original FROLINAT" and Ahmat Acyl's Volcan Army
, that menaced to form a counter-government if excluded from the GUNT. This brought Nigerians to search a new accord that would include a major number of factions; and from this was to emerge the Lagos Accord
, signed on August 21 in the Nigerian city of Lagos
, which took the place of the Kano Accord.
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...
in 1979, when the Prime Minister Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré , also spelled Hissen Habré, was the leader of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990.-Early life:...
had unleashed on February 12 his militias
Armed Forces of the North
The Armed Forces of the North was a Chadian rebel army active during the Chadian Civil War. Composed of FROLINAT units that remained loyal to Hissène Habré following his break from Goukouni Oueddei and the CCFAN in 1976...
against the capital N'Djamena
N'Djamena
N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a...
and the president 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...
. To route the President's forces, Habré had allied himself with the rival warlord 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:...
, who entered in N'Djamena on February 22 at the head of his People's Armed Forces
People's Armed Forces
The People's Armed Forces was a Chadian insurgent group composed of followers of Goukouni Oueddei after the schism with Hissène Habré in 1976...
(FAP).
The situation allarmed the country's neighbours, worried of a possible spill-over; as a result, already on February 16 the 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...
ese minister Izz Eldine Hamed had arrived in N'Djamena where he negotiated a ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
among the rival factions. The Sudanese proposed organizing a peace conference in neutral territory, and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
's President Olusegun Obasanjo offered Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
, in Northern Nigeria, as seat for the conference. He also invited as observers Chad's neighbouring countries (Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, Sudan, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
).
The conference startd with some days of delay on March 11, with the arrival of Malloum, Habré, Goukouni and Aboubakar Abdel Rahmane
Aboubakar Abdel Rahmane
Aboubakar Abdel Rahmane was a Chadian warlord active during the civil war . His early life is very undocumented, and his date of birth is unknown. A semi-literate Muslim Kanembu, he originally belonged to Goukouni Oueddei's People's Armed Forces...
. Among the four, Malloum represented the French
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...
-backed national government, Habré and Goukouni the county's biggest insurgent forces, while Aboubakar, leader of a minor insurgent group, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Chad
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Chad
The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Chad was a small rebel group active in Chad during the civil war....
(MPLT), could count on the support of Nigeria.
These four signed the Kano Accord on National Reconciliation on March 16, and it became effective on March 23, when Malloum and Habré formally resigned. The six points of the accord were:
- The demilitarization of N'Djamena
- An amnesty for all political prisoners
- Dissolution of the militias
- Formation of a new national army
- Pull-out of French troops
- Nigerian forces would supervise the ceasefire
It also projected the foundation of a Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT), which would have governed Chad till new elections. Malloum and Habré were excluded from the GUNT, but all of the four factions present at the conference would have two ministries in the Provvisional State Council that would govern in Chad till the full establishment of the GUNT. Goukouni was to be President of this Council.
The French troops, present in Chad from 1978, were to leave the country and be substituted with a multi-national Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n peacekeeping force under the aegis of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), represented principally by Nigerian troops.
The Kano Accord was a failure, for it offended Libyan interests by excluding pro-Libyan factions like Abba Siddick
Abba Siddick
Abba Siddick is a Muslim Chadian politician and revolutionary born in what was the Oubangui-Chari French colony . In passing in Chad , he entered in active politics in the Chadian Progressive Party , a nationalist and radical African political party founded in 1947 and led by Gabriel Lisette...
's "Original FROLINAT" and Ahmat Acyl's Volcan Army
Volcan Army
The Volcan Army was a Chadian insurgent rebel group that was active during the Chadian Civil War. The movement was founded in 1970 by the Arab insurgent leader Mohamed Baghlani, who had been expelled in June from the FROLINAT by the organization's secretary-general Abba Siddick...
, that menaced to form a counter-government if excluded from the GUNT. This brought Nigerians to search a new accord that would include a major number of factions; and from this was to emerge the Lagos Accord
Lagos Accord
The Lagos Accord was a peace agreement signed on August 21, 1979 by representatives of eleven warring factions of the Chadian Civil War, after a conference in Lagos, Nigeria. The accord established the procedures for setting up the Transitional Government of National Unity , which was sworn into...
, signed on August 21 in the Nigerian city of Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, which took the place of the Kano Accord.