Youssouf Saleh Abbas

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Youssouf Saleh Abbas
يوسف صالح عباس
Prime Minister of Chad
In office
15 April 2008 – 5 March 2010
PresidentIdriss Déby
Preceded byDelwa Kassiré Koumakoye
Succeeded byEmmanuel Nadingar
Personal details
Born1953 (age 70–71)
Abéché, French Equatorial Africa (now Chad)
Signature

Youssouf Saleh Abbas (

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

Abbas was born in

Ouaddai Region, in the east of Chad.[2][3] He studied in the Soviet Union and then in France, earning a master's degree in international relations.[2] Back in Chad, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as head of the Multilateral Cooperation Division and as Director of International Cooperation from November 20, 1979, to January 30, 1981.[1] He was then diplomatic advisor to Goukouni Oueddei, the President of the Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT), from June 1, 1981, to December 25, 1981[1] and Director of the Cabinet of the Head of State[1][3] from December 6, 1981, until Oueddei's ouster on June 7, 1982.[1]
From May 15 to May 31, 1981, he chaired the “Seminaire National des Cadres” the national high level Forum that contributed to avoid a dislocation of the country between politico-military factions and restore national unity in Chad.

Later, Abbas was advisor to the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from November 20, 1992, to December 15, 1996.[1] He was also vice-president of the Sovereign National Conference, which was held from January 1993 to April 1993.[1][3] From December 16, 1996, to August 13, 1997, he was Director-General of the Ministry of Planning and Cooperation.[1] He conducted consultancy work for UNDP and USAID between 1994 and 1997. From August 1997 to December 1999, he was the Director-General of the Agence Tchadienne d’Exécution des Travaux d’Intérêt Public with the support and cooperation of the World Bank.

Abbas, in opposition to President Déby, joined the

European Union Force[1][3][5] and the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT)[1][5] on November 17, 2007.[1] He remained in his posts as Advisor and Special Representative until his appointment as Prime Minister.[1][2]
He is not member of any political party.

As Prime Minister

On April 15, 2008, Déby appointed Abbas as Prime Minister,[6] dismissing Prime Minister Delwa Kassiré Koumakoye. Speaking on the radio afterwards, Abbas said that he would seek to work with other political parties when forming his government. He noted that popular expectations were high but said that his task would not be easy.[3] The appointment of Abbas, an easterner, marked a departure from Déby's standard practice of appointing prime ministers from the south (Déby himself is a northerner) and was presumably intended to help resolve the rebellion in the east. At the time of his appointment, Abbas was considered a relative unknown among the public, but he was well regarded in political circles.[2]

The various Chadian rebel groups reacted to the appointment of Abbas in different ways. Mahamat Nouri of the National Alliance said that no fundamental change could occur under Déby and described the appointment as a meaningless "non-event". The Union of Forces for Change and Democracy said that it would wait to see how much room for maneuver Déby would give Abbas, while the Rally of the Forces for Change said that it would wait to see what Abbas' political programme would be.[7]

The main coalition of opposition parties, the

Party for Liberties and Development (PLD), disagreed with this decision. They wanted Abbas to disclose what had happened to Saleh (who was still missing) in exchange for their participation in the government.[9]

Abbas's government was announced on April 23, and it included four members of the CPDC in key portfolios: Defense (held by

parliamentary election in 2009.[8][9]

Abbas remained in office for nearly two years. After December 2009, he held no further meetings of the government, and it was believed that there were "political differences" between Abbas and Déby. Abbas submitted his resignation to Déby on March 5, 2010, and Déby immediately appointed Emmanuel Nadingar to replace him.[11]

Notable people

  • Mahamat Hissene, Chadian Communications Minister in the government of Youssouf Saleh Abbas

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Curriculum vitae du Premier Ministre du Tchad", Chadian government website, April 24, 2008 (in French).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Le nouveau Premier ministre tchadien Youssouf Saleh Abbas"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, April 17, 2008 (in French).
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Tchad: le président Deby nomme un proche conseiller comme Premier ministre", AFP, April 16, 2008 (in French). Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b "Un nouveau coordinateur extérieur du MDJT", Afrique Express, number 239, November 20, 2001 (in French). Archived December 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b c "Chadian president names new Premier"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, April 16, 2008.
  6. ^ "Decret N°559/PR/2008, Portant Nomination d'un Premier Ministre, Chef du Gouvernement" Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine, website of the Chadian presidency, April 15, 2008 (in French).
  7. ^ "Réaction de différentes parties à la nomination d'un nouveau Premier ministre", Xinhua, April 20, 2008 (in French).
  8. ^ a b c "Tchad: l'opposition entre dans le nouveau gouvernement tchadien", AFP, April 23, 2008 (in French). Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b "La coalition d'opposition divisée sur l'entrée au gouvernement", Xinhua, April 22, 2008 (in French).
  10. ^ "Liste du nouveau gouvernement du Tchad"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, April 24, 2008 (in French).
  11. ^ "Chad gets new prime minister", AFP, March 5, 2010.
Political offices
Preceded by
Prime Minister of Chad

2008–2010 		Succeeded by


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