(Paris, March 4, 2008) – The Chadian government should promptly account for missing opposition leader Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh, who was arrested by state security forces one month ago, Human Rights Watch said today.

A second prominent opposition parliamentarian arrested at the same time, Ngarlejy Yorongar, resurfaced in the last few days. He told Human Rights Watch that after 18 days in government custody he had escaped and is now in Cameroon. According to Yorongar, Ibni was beaten during his arrest and was in bad health when Yorongar last saw him.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said that a commission of inquiry announced by Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno and heralded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his recent visit to Chad lacks independence and credibility because it is headed by the president of the Chadian National Assembly, a close ally of President Déby.

“President Sarkozy has come and gone, and Ibni is still missing,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “A commission run by a member of Chad’s ruling party can’t be independent. President Déby has pulled the wool over President Sarkozy’s eyes.”

A Human Rights Watch investigation in Chad determined that Ibni, spokesman for a coalition of opposition political parties, Lol Mahamat Choua, a former president of Chad, and Yorongar, president of the political party Fédération Action pour la République, were seized on February 3, 2008 by state security forces. Their arrests were part of a crackdown on political opponents in the capital N’Djamena following a coup attempt by Chadian rebels in early February.

On February 27, during a visit to Chad by President Sarkozy, President Déby said that Chad had established “an international commission of inquiry to shed light on the series of events that took place in N’Djamena” during the rebel attack. He said the commission would be led by the National Assembly president, Nassour Ouaidou Guelendouksia, a member of President Déby’s party and a former prime minister. The commission’s mandate is not limited to the question of the “disappeared” politicians. According to the decree creating the commission, its mandate covers “the Sudanese aggression of January 28 - February 8.” The commission will have 11 members, including seven Chadians and one each from the European Union, the African Union, France and the International Organization of La Francophonie.

On February 27, President Déby stated that the rebel attack “caused the death and disappearances of more than 400 civilians, including the leaders of political parties,” which suggests an attempt to blame the rebels for the “disappearance” of Ibni. President Déby also said that “certain leaders of political parties, such as Lol Mahamat Choua, who were found with the rebels, were arrested.”

The Chadian government on February 14 had acknowledged custody of Lol Mahamat Choua. After being placed under house arrest, he has since been released. President Déby said that the “international inquiry will look at what Lol was up to during that period.”