Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she will take to support the authorities in Chad to ensure the country’s national dialogue is inclusive of opposition groups.

The UK seeks to promote Chad's transition back to civilian and constitutional rule in line with the African Union Peace and Security Council communiqué of 14 May 2021. The UK has taken several steps to support the Chadian authorities to ensure the National Dialogue is inclusive. The UK is a member of the African Union's International Support Group for the Transition and has contributed to the United Nations Development Programme fund for the transition to support the inclusion of women and youth in the National Dialogue, which opened on 20 August 2022. I [Minister Ford] also wrote to the Chadian Minister for Foreign Affairs congratulating him on the Doha Agreement which was signed by the Transitional Military Council and rebel groups. In this letter, I set out the UK position on the transition, and encouraged the Minister to ensure the National Dialogue is as representative and inclusive as possible, particularly of unarmed opposition and civil society groups. We are closely monitoring the transition in Chad and use our diplomatic presence to relay key messages, in co-ordination with the international community, on inclusion within the National Dialogue and the organisation of free and fair elections according to the terms agreed by the African Union.