Saleh Kebzabo
Encyclopedia
Saleh Kebzabo is a Chad
ian politician. He is the President of the National Union for Democracy and Renewal
(UNDR) and a Deputy in the National Assembly of Chad
.
and Demain l'Afrique. He was subsequently the founder of N'Djaména Hebdo, Chad's first independent newspaper. He was a consul in Douala
, Cameroon
, but was expelled from Cameroon by President Paul Biya
due to his support for Biya's predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo
.
He was one of the founding members of the UNDR political party in December 1992. In April 1993, following the Sovereign National Conference, he was appointed as Minister of Trade and Industry in the government of Prime Minister Fidèle Moungar
. This government lasted only six months before the Higher Transitional Council (CST) approved a censure motion against it.
Accused of working with rebels, in September 1995 Kebzabo was arrested and held for five days. Prior to the arrest, his home was searched without a warrant at night on August 30. Kebzabo was released after the opposition protested his detention, and he filed suit against the officials who were responsible for the incident.
Kebzabo's primary support base is in Mayo-Kebbi. He was a candidate in the June 1996 presidential election
, placing third with 8.61% of the vote; he then backed President Idriss Déby
for the second round. After Déby's victory, Kebzabo became Minister of Foreign Affairs
in August 1996, serving in that position until he was named Minister of State for Public Works, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development on May 21, 1997. He was elected to the National Assembly as an UNDR candidate in the first round of the 1997 parliamentary election
, although he remained in the government and did not take his seat.
Kebzabo became Minister of State for Mines, Energy, and Oil in a cabinet reshuffle on January 1, 1998, but he was dismissed from the government on May 11, 1998, along with two other UNDR ministers. Regarding his dismissal, he said that his goals could be achieved outside of the government. In December 1999, he was named Minister of State for Agriculture in the government of Prime Minister Nagoum Yamassoum
.
On April 1, 2001, Kebzabo was again nominated as the UNDR's presidential candidate for that year's election
. He was subsequently removed from his position as Minister of State for Agriculture on April 8; the other UNDR members of the government were also dismissed. Prior to this he was considered the second ranking member of the government, after the prime minister. It was speculated that Kebzabo chose to run for President on this occasion because he had been unsuccessful in negotiating with Déby for the post of Prime Minister. Kebzabo later said that he had participated in the government in the belief that by doing so he could undermine Déby from within the system, and that as a result he believed the UNDR was a "permanent target" of Déby.
In the presidential election, held on May 20, 2001, he placed third with 7% of the vote. In late May he was twice detained briefly by police, along with five other opposition candidates.
In the April 2002 parliamentary election
, Kebzabo was elected to the National Assembly as a UNDP candidate from Lere
constituency in Mayo-Dallah Department
, and he became President of the Democratic Parliamentary Group during the parliamentary term that followed the election.
According to Kebzabo, on February 3, 2008, during a battle between government forces and rebels
in N'Djamena
, soldiers came to Kebzabo's home to arrest him, but he was travelling at the time. He said that the soldiers fired at his brother. In a statement on February 26, he and another opposition leader, Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
, released a statement calling for "the immediate convening of an all-inclusive national dialogue", the release of the three opposition leaders who had been arrested, along with an international inquiry into the arrests, and an immediate cease-fire.
Although the UNDR is a member of the Coordination of Political Parties for the Defense of the Constitution (CPDC), and the CPDC chose to join the government of Prime Minister Youssouf Saleh Abbas
in April 2008, Kebzabo declined to take a post in the government, saying that he preferred that someone else from his party enter the government instead. Kebzabo said that his party work in the UNDR was absorbing him at the time; he described this work as "an enriching experience" and said that he was already beginning preparations for the planned 2009 parliamentary election
.
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...
ian politician. He is the President of the National Union for Democracy and Renewal
National Union for Democracy and Renewal
The National Union for Democracy and Renewal is a political party in Chad, led by Saleh Kebzabo.In the 1997 parliamentary election, the UNDR won 15 out of 125 seats. In the parliamentary election held on 21 April 2002, the party won five out of 155 seats....
(UNDR) and a Deputy in the National Assembly of Chad
National Assembly of Chad
The National Assembly is the parliament of Chad. It has 155 members, elected for a four year term in 25 single-member constituencies and 34 multi-member constituencies.-See also:*List of Presidents of the National Assembly of Chad...
.
Political career
Kebzabo was a director at the Chadian Press Agency, a member of the Democratic Movement for the Restoration of Chad (MDRT), and was a journalist at Jeune AfriqueJeune Afrique
Jeune Afrique is a weekly newsmagazine published in Paris, founded in Tunis by Béchir Ben Yahmed on October 17, 1960. It covers the political, economic and cultural spheres of Africa, with an emphasis on Francophone Africa and the Maghreb....
and Demain l'Afrique. He was subsequently the founder of N'Djaména Hebdo, Chad's first independent newspaper. He was a consul in Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
, 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...
, but was expelled from Cameroon by President Paul Biya
Paul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
due to his support for Biya's predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo
Ahmadou Ahidjo
Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo was the first President of Cameroon from 1960 until 1982.-Early life:Ahidjo was born in Garoua, a major river port along the Benue River in northern Cameroun, which was at the time a French mandate territory...
.
He was one of the founding members of the UNDR political party in December 1992. In April 1993, following the Sovereign National Conference, he was appointed as Minister of Trade and Industry in the government of Prime Minister Fidèle Moungar
Fidèle Moungar
Fidèle Abdelkérim Moungar is a Chadian doctor and a veteran politician who served as Prime Minister of Chad in 1993. He is currently Secretary-General of Chadian Action for Unity and Socialism , a left-wing opposition party....
. This government lasted only six months before the Higher Transitional Council (CST) approved a censure motion against it.
Accused of working with rebels, in September 1995 Kebzabo was arrested and held for five days. Prior to the arrest, his home was searched without a warrant at night on August 30. Kebzabo was released after the opposition protested his detention, and he filed suit against the officials who were responsible for the incident.
Kebzabo's primary support base is in Mayo-Kebbi. He was a candidate in the June 1996 presidential election
Chadian presidential election, 1996
Presidential election were held in Chad on 2 June 1996, with a second round on 3 July. This was the first multiparty presidential election in the history of Chad since its independence. It occurred at the end of a long transitional process and was repeatedly delayed...
, placing third with 8.61% of the vote; he then backed President Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby
General Idriss Déby Itno is the President of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Déby is of the Bidyat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. He added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006.-Rise to power:...
for the second round. After Déby's victory, Kebzabo became Minister of Foreign Affairs
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
in August 1996, serving in that position until he was named Minister of State for Public Works, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development on May 21, 1997. He was elected to the National Assembly as an UNDR candidate in the first round of the 1997 parliamentary election
Chadian parliamentary election, 1997
Parliamentary elections were held in Chad in 1997, the first multi-party election since independence in 1960. The voting system was similar to that of France, using runoff voting, with two separate rounds of voting, the first on 5 January and the second on 23 February in those constituencies where...
, although he remained in the government and did not take his seat.
Kebzabo became Minister of State for Mines, Energy, and Oil in a cabinet reshuffle on January 1, 1998, but he was dismissed from the government on May 11, 1998, along with two other UNDR ministers. Regarding his dismissal, he said that his goals could be achieved outside of the government. In December 1999, he was named Minister of State for Agriculture in the government of Prime Minister Nagoum Yamassoum
Nagoum Yamassoum
Nagoum Yamassoum is a Chadian politician. He was Prime Minister of Chad from 1999 to 2002 and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2005....
.
On April 1, 2001, Kebzabo was again nominated as the UNDR's presidential candidate for that year's election
Chadian presidential election, 2001
A presential election was held in Chad on May 20, 2001. President Idriss Déby stood as a candidate for a second term. He obtained the support of a former opponent, Lol Mahamat Choua, leader of the Rally for Democracy and Progress ....
. He was subsequently removed from his position as Minister of State for Agriculture on April 8; the other UNDR members of the government were also dismissed. Prior to this he was considered the second ranking member of the government, after the prime minister. It was speculated that Kebzabo chose to run for President on this occasion because he had been unsuccessful in negotiating with Déby for the post of Prime Minister. Kebzabo later said that he had participated in the government in the belief that by doing so he could undermine Déby from within the system, and that as a result he believed the UNDR was a "permanent target" of Déby.
In the presidential election, held on May 20, 2001, he placed third with 7% of the vote. In late May he was twice detained briefly by police, along with five other opposition candidates.
In the April 2002 parliamentary election
Chadian parliamentary election, 2002
The Chadian parliamentary election of 2002 was the second multi-party parliamentary election since the independence of Chad, and came after the normal expiry of the mandate of the National Assembly's deputies...
, Kebzabo was elected to the National Assembly as a UNDP candidate from Lere
Léré
Léré may refer to the following places:*Léré, Cher, a commune in the department of Cher, France*Léré, Chad, a town in Chad*Léré, Mali, a town in Mali*Léré, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso*Lere, Nigeria, city in Nigeria...
constituency in Mayo-Dallah Department
Mayo-Dallah
Mayo-Dallah is one of two departments in Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, a region of Chad. Its capital is Pala....
, and he became President of the Democratic Parliamentary Group during the parliamentary term that followed the election.
According to Kebzabo, on February 3, 2008, during a battle between government forces and rebels
Battle of N'Djamena (2008)
The Battle of N'Djamena began on February 2, 2008 when Chadian rebel forces opposed to Chadian President Idriss Déby entered N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, after a three-day advance through the country. The rebels were initially successful, taking a large part of the city and attacking the heavily...
in 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...
, soldiers came to Kebzabo's home to arrest him, but he was travelling at the time. He said that the soldiers fired at his brother. In a statement on February 26, he and another opposition leader, Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué was a Chadian politician and former army officer. Kamougué was a leading figure in the 1975 coup d'état and since then he has held several positions in the Chadian government and legislature. He was Vice-President from 1979 to 1982 and was President of the National...
, released a statement calling for "the immediate convening of an all-inclusive national dialogue", the release of the three opposition leaders who had been arrested, along with an international inquiry into the arrests, and an immediate cease-fire.
Although the UNDR is a member of the Coordination of Political Parties for the Defense of the Constitution (CPDC), and the CPDC chose to join the government of Prime Minister Youssouf Saleh Abbas
Youssouf Saleh Abbas
Youssouf Saleh Abbas is a Chadian political figure who was Prime Minister of Chad from April 2008 to March 2010. He was previously a diplomatic adviser and special representative of President Idriss Déby.-Political career:...
in April 2008, Kebzabo declined to take a post in the government, saying that he preferred that someone else from his party enter the government instead. Kebzabo said that his party work in the UNDR was absorbing him at the time; he described this work as "an enriching experience" and said that he was already beginning preparations for the planned 2009 parliamentary election
Chadian parliamentary election, 2009
A parliamentary election was held in Chad on Sunday, 13 February 2011; it was the first such election since 2002. The administration of President Idriss Déby has been in power since 1990...
.
External links
- "Tchad : Réflexion de Saleh Kebzabo, député, leader de l’UNDR, sur le régime d’Idriss Déby", a critical assessment by Kebzabo of Déby's rule, December 2005.