Youssouf Togoïmi
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Youssouf Togoïmi (March 26, 1953-September 24, 2002) was a leading Chadian politician who went on to become an opponent of the government.
Born in Zouar in the Tibesti Mountains, he came from the northern Muslim population of the country. Togoïmi served as in a number of positions in the government of Idriss Déby, including Justice Minister (1990-1993), Minister of Defence 91995-1997) and then Minister of the Interior for a brief spell in 1997, before resigning from the government on June 3, 1997. He claimed that his resignation came about because of the dictatorial drift of the government, as well as differences of an ethnic nature due to his own status as a Toubou [1].
On October 12, 1998 he formed the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad, a dissident rebel group that sought to overthrow the government. Operating initially from his power base in the Tibesti Mountains, the group waged a guerilla war against government forces. He drafted an outline for peace in Tripoli (as he had a close alliance with the Libyan regime) in early 2002, although the initiative proved a failure. Togoïmi's car struck a land mine in the Ennendi region of the Chad and he died from his wounds in Libya on September 24, 2002.
