Although Chad borders Sudan?s troubled Darfur region, a surge in violence in Chad cannot be blamed only on Sudanese Arabs launching cross-border attacks. Rather, in what appears to be a lesson in hate and intolerance, since early October, raids on Chadian villages, some over 60 miles inland, are being committed by Chadian Arabs against Chadian non-Arabs. Many of the attacks bear striking resemblances to atrocities in Darfur: disappearances, rapes, pillaging, etc.
Tensions between Chad and Sudan have been high for some time. Chad even broke off diplomatic ties with Sudan in April 2006 after rebels attacked N?djamena. Relations have since warmed notionally. Since the beginning of 2006, violence has spilled over from war-ravaged Darfur into lawless Chadian border towns. Militants have raided and looted upward of 50,000 Chadian villagers. And, while Chad accuses Sudan of funding and supplying arms to rebel movements, Sudan accuses Chad of supporting anti-government forces in Darfur. Chad has taken in 220,000 Darfur refugees, who, the Chadian government contends, are being targeted in bombing campaigns by Sudan?s air force.
However, the new development of Chadian-on-Chadian attacks is a troubling turn of events. Some 3,000 people have fled their homes in local interethnic conflicts, and nearly 100 people have died, thus far. Said one displaced man: ?These are Arabs we know. We trade with each other, depend on each other. We never had any problem in the past? (source).
Not only are the rebels attacking civilian farmers, but they are also targeting military forces in southeastern Chad with the specific goal of ousting President Idriss Deby, who in 2004 overruled the two-term presidential limit and ?ran? for president again. According to Voice of America, Chadian government forces clashed with United Forces for Democracy and Development (Group Profile forthcoming) rebels, a coalition of three groups, in eastern Chad, with both sides declaring victory.
Ethnic, racial, and tribal divisions run deep throughout Africa. These divisions tend to spark conflict like that that is raging in Darfur and is unfolding in Chad. These conflicts are often exacerbated by a dearth in water, food, and land. Eastern Chad and western Sudan are strikingly similar, and borders mean very little to the nomadic tribes who straddle the region for their livelihood and for trade. Most concerning in the region is that the crisis in Darfur is spilling into heretofore peaceful areas, pitting nomadic Arab tribes against agrarian non-Arab tribes.
For the time being, foreigners would be well advised to reschedule trips to Chad if possible (Advisory). If these incursions are allowed to continue in Chad (and the Central African Republic (CAR; Country Profile) and potentially elsewhere), the sub-Saharan region will soon find itself deep in a racial, ethnic regional conflict. President Deby must implement a three-pronged approach: 1) allow for political dissent and opposition; 2) permit humanitarian aid agencies to continue their work in country, and engage in discussions to allow deploying UN peacekeepers (which are unlikely to involve French troops despite their significant presence in Chad due to strains in France (see this WAR Report)) in eastern Chad; and 3) continue to permit his forces to thwart the rebels? attacks while upholding international standards for warfare, lest Deby contribute to the devolving security climate in his own country.
