Pierre Toura Gaba

Jules Pierre Toura Gaba (December 18, 1920 – September 29, 1998) was a Chadian politician and diplomat. Following the independence of Chad, he served as its first Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1960 to 1961.

Life and career He was born on December 18, 1920, at Maibyan, near Moissala, in the prefecture of Moyen-Chari in southern Chad. He served as a diplomat at Brazzaville and worked for a long time as a teacher in places like Ati, Abéché, Bongor and Fort-Archambault (now called Sarh).

When Chad was still a French colony, a Representative Council for which some of the African inhabitants could vote was instituted. Toura entered politics and became a member of this council from 1946 to 1956. A year later, he founded the Chadian Progressive Party (PPT) with Gabriel Lisette, in which Toura became secretary-general and Lisette president. He served until 1979, when he resigned after the dissolution of any central authority in Chad. He found asylum in the United States and remained there until 1991, when he returned to Chad. He died on September 29, 1998, at N'Djamena.