Lol Mahamat Choua

Lol Mahamat Choua, born on June fifteenth, nineteen thirty-nine, is a prominent Chadian politician who briefly served as the head of state in nineteen seventy-nine. He was a key figure in the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) political party and played a significant role during the tumultuous period of the First Chadian Civil War.

Choua, a devout Muslim and member of the Kanembu ethnic group, rose to power amid the conflict, representing the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Chad (MPLT) at a peace conference in Kano, Nigeria. Under pressure from Nigerian authorities, he was appointed head of the Transitional Government of National Unity on April twenty-ninth, nineteen seventy-nine, leading a cabinet that included both northern and southern ministers. However, his government faced challenges from rival factions, leading to his replacement by Goukouni Oueddei on September third of the same year.

After a period of exile in Paris, Choua returned to Chad and served as the minister of transport from nineteen eighty-two to nineteen eighty-five. He continued to be an influential political figure, leading the RDP as it became one of the recognized opposition parties following the legalization of political parties in nineteen ninety-two. Choua presided over the Higher Transitional Council, although he was later replaced due to conflicts with President Idriss Déby.

In the first multiparty presidential election in Chad's history in June nineteen ninety-six, Choua garnered five point ninety-three percent of the vote. He remained active in politics, supporting Déby in subsequent elections and serving as the President of the RDP Parliamentary Group. His political journey faced significant challenges, including an arrest in February two thousand eight during a conflict in N'Djamena, but he was later confirmed to be alive and held in military custody.