In 1969 Muammar Gaddafi seized power in Libya and reignited the Libyan claim to the Aouzou Strip, bolstered by the possibility that the area could be rich in uranium. Gaddafi also began interfering in Chadian affairs, actively supporting FROLINAT anti-government forces in the first Chadian Civil War and moving troops into northern Chad.[1] As relations between the two states deteriorated, various secret discussions were held; Gaddafi claimed that as part of these Chadian President François Tombalbaye had ceded the Strip to Libya in 1972, however the claimed cession was disputed and the precise details remain unclear.[2][10] In 1975 Chadian President Goukouni Oueddei publicly denounced Libya's presence in the Strip.