Youssouf Saleh Abbas

Youssouf Saleh Abbas ( Arabic يوسف صالح عباس, DMG Yūsuf Ṣāliḥ ʿAbbās , * 1952 in Abéché ) is a Chadian politician. He was head of government in his country from April 16, 2008 to March 5, 2010.

life and career

Youssouf Saleh Abbas was born in Abéché in the Wadai region in eastern Chad. After receiving his Baccalaureate in 1973, he studied in the Soviet Union and France , where he obtained a master's degree in international law. After his return to Chad, he held various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Relations from 1979 to 1981. From July 1 to December 25, 1981, he was diplomatic advisor to Goukouni Oueddei , President of the GUNT interim government , and head of cabinet from December 6 to Oueddei's fall on June 7, 1982.

Abbas later served as Advisor to the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from November 20, 1992 to December 15, 1996. He was also Vice President of the Sovereign National Conference, which lasted from January to April 1993. From December 16, 1996 to August 13, 1997, he was Director General of the Ministry of Planning and Coordination.

As an opponent of President Idriss Déby , Abbas went into exile in France for several years, where he worked as an external coordinator for the MDJT , which was founded in 1998 and active in Tibesti . On October 31, 2001 he resigned together with other members of the external coordination due to differences with the MDJT boss Youssouf Togoïmi . After an agreement with the government he returned to Chad and became Déby's advisor for international relations in 2006 and his representative to EUFOR and MINURCAT in 2007 .

He held this post until Déby appointed him Prime Minister on April 15, 2008. The appointment of Abbas, who comes from eastern Chad, as prime minister differs from the previous practice of Déby (who himself comes from the north) of appointing prime ministers from the south of the country. It was believed to help curb rebel activities in eastern Chad. Until then, Youssouf Saleh Abbas was largely unknown to the general public, but he enjoyed a good reputation in political circles.

Web links

• Déby nomme un ex-rebelle au poste de Premier ministre (French)