Goukouni Oueddei (Arabic: كوكوني عويدي Kūkūnī ʿWaīday; born 1944)[1] is a Chadian politician who served as President of Chad from 1979 to 1982.
A northerner, Goukouni commanded FROLINAT rebels with Libyan support during the first Chadian Civil War against Chad's southern-dominated government.
FROLINAT resented the political dominance enjoyed by southerners under the presidency of François Tombalbaye and advocated the participation of central and northern peoples.
After Tombalbaye's assassination in 1975, tensions between the two geographical halves of the country escalated into a convoluted civil war that involved several Chadian political groups, Libya, the United States, and France.
He was the most recognized Chadian oppositionist, whose views carried significant weight, though Habré granted only limited concessions in an attempt to reconcile with Goukouni.
[6] Goukouni returned to Chad on 30 July 2007, along with about twenty other exiled opponents of the regime, for a discussion with Déby regarding the rebellion and how to resolve the situation.
[9] Amidst the 2015 Burundian unrest, central African leaders, including Déby, designated Goukouni as special envoy to the Great Lakes region on 25 May 2015 in order to help resolve the situation in Burundi.