Qatar and Chad have decided to restore their diplomatic relations that were severed in August after the start of a Saudi-led blockade against Qatar.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lolwah al-Khater, said that both countries would return their ambassadors with immediate effect.
The revival of diplomatic ties between Chad and Qatar is indicative of a waning Saudi-led campaign to suffocate Doha. The Quartet (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt) in June last year has imposed an embargo on Qatar over divergences on a set of issues notably Doha’s support for the Muslim brotherhood.
A number of African countries followed suit and severed ties with Doha that accused the Saudi-led bloc of putting pressure on these African states to take sides in the row.
Qatar managed to survive the embargo so far thanks to its sovereign funds, strong relations with Turkey and a newly forged alliance with Saudi Arabia’s arch rival, Iran.
More than eight months since the start of the crisis, the US and the EU have repeatedly called on the conflicting countries to engage in dialogue.
The quartet issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Qatar-based media network Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country, as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.
Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to infringe on its sovereignty.
