Chad’s military president Mahamat Idriss Deby Etno on Monday signed a deal with more than 40 opposition groups to launch national peace talks later this month. The AFP news agency reports that the 38-year-old general and opposition representatives sealed the accord, which will see talks start on August 20, at a ceremony in Doha after five months of mediation by Qatar. The main rebel group, the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, however said it would not sign the deal despite last-minute efforts by Qatar’s mediators.
