The National Sovereign Inclusive Dialogue (DNIS) forum announced on Saturday that junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno will remain in office throughout the two-year-long interim phase and ratified Deby's right to run for the presidency by the time the transition period expires.

This inclusive and sovereign National Dialogue (DNIS) was launched on August 20 following several delays during which the country was struggling to initiate peace negotiations among major opposition rebel groups and civil society groups.

At the age of 37, General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno was proclaimed president of the Republic by the army following the assassination of his father, Idriss Déby Itno, who had ruled the country for three decades.

The young leader promised "a new phase of the transition" devoted to "achieving the prescribed deadlines for the return to constitutional order."

While he had promised to hand back power to civilians after 18 months, Deby also pledged to Chadians and the international community that he would not run in the upcoming presidential elections.

As soon as he came to power, Déby Itno and 14 other generals from the Military Transitional Council (MTC) abrogated the constitution, dissolved parliament, and dismissed the government.

Although the international community called on Deby to not extend the transition period and to not run for the presidency in the next elections, on June 2021, Déby Itno announced he would extend the transition for another 18 months until Chadians manage to reach an agreement on the way forward.

Last week, the DNIS approved "by consensus" a series of resolutions which included the renewal of "the transition for a maximum of 24 months"  and "to keep the CMT president in office (Mahamat Déby), who becomes the president of the transition."

Since its independence from France in 1960, Chad, one of the world's poorest countries, has experienced periodic revolutions and instability.

By the end of a ceremony that lasted more than two hours, Déby Itno expressed his "pride" at the forum meetings which he said have made it possible to "get out of the horror scenario."

Déby also mentioned his "commitment before God and before the Chadians to release prisoners of war." This is in particular a requirement of the FACT movement, which is not a signatory to the Doha peace agreement.

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