Chad invites armed groups to participate in national dialogue

FILE PHOTO: Mahamat Idriss Deby, son of late Chadian President Idriss Deby, attends his father's state funeral in N'Djamena, Chad, April 23, 2021. Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via REUTERS

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's transitional president on Tuesday invited opposition armed groups to participate in a national dialogue to determine the future of the country, reversing previous statements that the government would not negotiate with rebels.

Mahamat Idriss Deby, who leads the Transitional Military Council (CMT), seized power In April after his father, the former president, was killed while visiting troops fighting an insurgency in the north.