Residents in the Chadian capital of N?Djamena awoke to a fierce rebel attack on April 13 that caused widespread panic in the city. The attack began in N?Djamena shortly before dawn and lasted through the day, as local military forces fought off the offensive with tank fire and mortar rounds. Helicopters also fired rockets on mercenary fighters, ultimately succeeding in driving them to capitulation. The following day, a government spokesman accounted for 370 rebels and approximately 30 Chadian soldiers dead in addition to hundreds more injured on both sides of the fight. Furthermore, in the city of Adre, close to the Sudanese border, some 150 more rebels and six soldiers were reported killed in clashes. The spokesman also claimed that 287 rebels had been captured.
On April 14, President Idriss Deby announced his victory over the rebels and what he called their coup to oust him from power. In a speech in central N?Djamena, he angrily accused Sudan of being involved in the assault and called off the countries? diplomatic relations. Deby also paraded the captured rebels in front of the public to send a message of steadfastness in his conviction to hold on to power. Deby further presented an ultimatum, affirming that the refugee crisis in the Darfur region has to be resolved before June 1 of this year otherwise his country will expel the refugees. ?The international community has been totally deaf and dumb on the situation between Sudan and Chad,? he said, declaring that ?enough is enough.? While Deby later backed away from his threat; he stands by his assurance on Sudan?s culpability.
Through 46 years as an independent nation, Chad has been troubled by ethnic conflicts and atrocious violence derived from the Arab-Muslim north and the predominantly Christian and animist south. The reign has endured recurrent coups similar to this most recent rebel attack. Yet, Deby has managed to hold on to power for a comparably unusually long time. Deby himself came to reign after he staged a coup d’?tat 16 years ago. Since 1990, the power of the government has grown more precious?enormous oil resources have been discovered and plans of an extraction program have recently been initiated.
Adding to the impoverished country?s security issues, the neighboring Sudan crisis has spilled across the border along with thousands of Sudanese refugees. Chad hosts about 180,000 refugees within its eastern borders. The living conditions in these refugee camps have reportedly reached a record-low that many observers have called a humanitarian catastrophe.
As reported on March 8 , the situation on both sides of the refugee region displays a complex reality as Sudanese rebels have sought hiding places in the Chadian camps, and Chadian rebels fighting to overthrow their regime are embedded with refugees in the Sudanese camps. The intricacy of these circumstances is further exacerbated as both countries continually exchange accusations of supporting the other?s rebels. Although an official truce was reached in February, hostilities only seem to worsen.
Geographically, Chad has a clear potential to play a significant role in the regional security efforts, as they neighbor many countries vital to the cause. The international community is eager to stabilize the burdened continent in order to promote better living conditions. The World Bank is aiding Chad in the development of profitable oil production with the goals of heightening the living standards of the disadvantaged population and resolving the humanitarian crisis in Darfur as well. However, the challenge might prove itself quite thorny as Chad unquestionably remains one of the most corrupted nations in the world.
