In Chad’s northern Tibesti province, the government has announced a provisional ban on gold exploitation in the Miski area, pending new administrative arrangements for site management. This move follows a government mission led by Vice-Prime Minister Limane Mahamat in early October 2026, which aimed to address persistent tensions and security challenges at the region’s lucrative gold mining sites. The delegation included the Minister of Mines, Fatima Haram Acyl, and representatives from the national mediation office, reflecting the high-level attention to the issue.
The government’s visit to Miski on 3 October 2026 was intended to normalize the situation in the gold mining zones, where relations between state authorities and the local self-defense committee have long been strained over security and resource control. According to official communications, the discussions reaffirmed the principle of restoring state authority over all mining sites. The self-defense committee reportedly expressed willingness to hand over weapons and equipment, while the government announced a reorganization of gold site management and a provisional halt to gold exploitation until new administrative measures are in place.
These developments are linked to a peace accord signed in April 2025 between the government and the Miski self-defense committee. The 14-article agreement, brokered by the national mediator Saleh Kebzabo and signed by committee president Djouma Chaha, included provisions for ending violence, granting amnesty for certain past events, and integrating self-defense fighters into state security forces. Economically, it called for the cancellation of existing mining permits and the suspension of mining activities in Miski and surrounding areas until further studies could be conducted.
However, the implementation of the peace accord has been incomplete. The commission responsible for overseeing the agreement’s execution, as stipulated in the accord, has reportedly never been formally established, despite preparatory steps in September 2025. This lack of follow-through has raised questions about accountability and the status of key commitments, such as the integration of fighters and the conduct of required studies before resuming mining.
Tensions have escalated since the government mission. Less than two weeks after the visit, violent clashes broke out between the state’s mining brigade and the self-defense committee. On 13 October, the committee accused the brigade of heavy weapons fire and irregular practices at the gold sites, calling for government intervention to uphold the 3 October commitments. The following day, exchanges of gunfire resulted in the deaths of two mining brigade officers and nine wounded in the brigade’s ranks, according to the army, which blamed the self-defense committee for violating the peace agreement. The army demanded immediate disarmament, warning that refusal would be treated as rebellion. The self-defense committee, for its part, called for a ceasefire and renewed government mediation, while criticizing the conduct of some mining brigade officials.
Tchadinfos reported that no independent tally of possible losses among self-defense committee members or civilians had been established. The army's account of two officers killed and nine brigade members wounded remains an attributed claim. The contradictory accounts do not independently establish how the clashes began or each side's responsibility. Questions remain about disarmament, the management of gold sites and implementation of the peace accord.