Human Rights Situation

News from Chad continues to be dominated by the case of the French organisation, L'Arche de Zoe, and their attempts to fly out 103 Chadian children to France.The children are currently in an orphanage in Abeche under the care of the Chadian Ministry of Social Affairs and are thought to be in good health.UNICEF has confirmed the actions breached international law and in a joint statement by UNICEF, UNHCR and ICRC, the organisations stated:

“Among the children there are 21 girls and 82 boys. The youngest is about one year old and the oldest about ten. So far, the interviews carried out with the children – some of whom could not provide any information due to their young age – led to the preliminary conclusion that most probably 85 come from Chadian villages near the cities of Adré and Tine alongside the Chadian-Sudanese border.

During interviews with humanitarian staff, 91 children said they had been living with their family, consisting of at least one adult they considered to be their parent. Interviews with the remaining 12 children are ongoing to gather more information to trace their relatives.”

Six members of the group have been charged with abducting minors for the purpose of changing their civil status (giving them new parents), a crime that carries a penalty of five to twenty years of forced labour. It is thought that gaps in the Chadian Penal Code may result in sentencing problems. According to Papa Babacar Ndiaye, national program officer at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for West and Central Africa, the gap in Chadian legislation creates several obstacles where by "charges of abduction would not only result in more lenient sentences (than child trafficking) in the case of a conviction, but would be harder to convict in the first place". Three members of a Spanish air crew and a Belgian pilot have been charged as accesories.

Meanwhile, on the 30th October 2007, a separate report drew attention to the difficulties experienced by other NGOs in the wake of the L'Arche de Zoe scandal. It is feared that Western NGOs will now be associated with child trafficking and thus may lose the trust of Chadians. One group in particular, Save the Children, are concerned as L'Arche de Zoe was known locally as Children Rescure which can be translated into Arabic as Save the Children. A spokesman for the committee of NGOs, however, said thus far their activities have not been affected.

Security Situation

On the 30th October 2007 the UNHCR released information about a three day workshop it had been running at Abeche University. The workshop involved 70 members from local communities and local authorities and focused on conflict resolution and peaceful co-existence.

The participants highlighted four major factors leading to heightened tensions: the lack of fairness in sharing limited natural resources like water and firewood, the absence of justice and the culture of impunity, the weakness of some local authorities, and the diminishing influence of and respect for traditional chiefs and conflict resolution. As a result, there is an increasing willingness to turn to violence to solve these problems. Agreements were made to change or delay migration routes during the December harvest as this is often a major cause of tension. The general consensus was that traditional leaders had to be given "space to intervene." The event was thought to be successful and an important step towards creating a lasting peace.

On the 31st October, in an address to the General Assembly, the Under Secretary General Jean Marie Guehenno acknowledged a "momentous year" for United Nations peacekeeping. In 2007 the Peacekeeping Department maintained a staff of 140 000 men and women and a budget of $7 billion.

Guehenno also confirmed that a multidimensional mission to Chad would be deployed by the year's end in close concert with the European Union. As outlined in Waging Peace’s recent report on the CAR, there is growing concern that the force will become a target of attacks by Chadian rebel groups if it is majoritarily French, as is currently expected.

Humanitarian Situation

On 29 October 2007, the US announced that it would be donating $144 million to the World Food Programme to aid victims of violent conflicts and natural disasters. Of this figure, $32 million will be used to provide food for Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in Eastern Chad. The presence of large refugee and IDP populations is putting enourmous strain on local communities, overwhelming agriculture, pasture and water resources.

Humanitarian Situation

On 15 November, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ended a sixty day scheme to distribute food to displaced people in Dogdore, a Chadian town near to the border with Sudan. The operation had provided over 11 000 people with food rations.

On the same day, a report released by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) detailed that it was facing a critical shortfall in attracting the US$60 million needed to meet the food requirements for the next nine months in the most conflict affected areas of Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Also on 15 November the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released its “Facts and Figures Snapshot Report”. The report provides an excellent introduction to the current humanitarian situation in Chad where there are currently 240 000 Sudanese refugees (over 60% under 18), 45 000 CAR refugees and 180 000 internally displaced people.

On 16 November the Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Dermot Ahern pledged his country’s continued support for Chad’s humanitarian needs during 2008saying “It is clear that the humanitarian situation is extremely serious, and it calls for our continued response. We plan to continue to support humanitarian programmes in Chad in 2008”. The pledge was made from N’Djamena after visits to Abeche and Goz Beida and meetings with United Nations officials and Chadian authorities. Thus far, Ireland has been one of the largest donors to the 2007 Humanitarian Appeal for Chad, providing US$5.3 million to a total of seven projects.

Security Situation

On 15 November the European Union’s top military advisor, General Henri Bentegeat, urged defense chiefs to fill equipment and logistics shortfalls for the bloc’s mission to Chad.  In particular he highlighted shortages in "transportation in the theatre of operations", including helicopters, "medical support, and "logistics assets". If this equipment was not acquired quickly the mission would most likely be delayed.

His concerns were echoed on 19 November by the French Minister for European Affairs who called on other nations to at least give “financial contributions to show that this is a European engagement." His British counterpart Jim Murphey, however, quickly reiterated British policy of “offering to give political support, and where appropriate any technical advice, but we haven't made any promises to offer any money or forces." In reality this means that Britain and Germany’s only contribution will be placing a handful of officers between them at the operation’s Paris headquarters.

On 20 November the Irish cabinet confirmed their 400 troop commitment to the 3 700 strong European force. However at the same time the Defence Minister,Willie O’Dea, expressed concern about the shortage of air support for the operation. In an interview with RTE state radio he warned that Ireland would not deploy its troops unless sufficient air cover was in place. He cited bigger countries such as Germany and Italy as having “made no contribution so far.” So far troops have been pledged by Poland (150), Sweden (200), Austria (160), Romania (120), Belgium (100), Spain (80), Finland (40) and the Netherlands (Unspecified).

On 21 November the first officers from the United Nations Standing Police Capacity will depart for Chad today to start recruitment and training for a specialized Chadian police unit.  The eventual deployment of 300 UN Police Officers will have the objective of enhancing the capabilities of the Chadian police and gendarmes to protect the population.  They expect to train a force of around 850 national officers.

Human Rights Situation

While the media and diplomatic frenzy surrounding the L’Arche de Zoe scandal has calmed down the case is still generating controversy.  On 18 November Chad’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ahmad Allam-Mi, announced the government will now conduct preliminary controls on all NGOs in the country. In a statement of N’Djamena he stated “It is less a problem with trusting non-governmental organisations than one of control: there will be good preliminary checks."

On 21 November the head of L’Arche de Zoe, Eric Bretau, accused the French government of letting him down and making the situation worse.

L’Arche de Zoe

The eyes of the international community continue to be focused on the case of the French NGO, L’Arche de Zoe and their failed attempt to remove 103 children from Chad. On 5 November, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Ameerah Haq, added her voice to that of other UN officials condemning the actions of L’Arche de Zoe. In a statement issued in Khartoum she reiterated the UN belief that “Such actions contravene all international laws and standards on the movement of children and infringe on the humanitarian principles we stand for as the United Nations”. She also drew attention to the role the UN has played in helping the children.  A similar statement was issue by UNICEF director Ann M Veneman.

On 8 November, however, UNICEF issued a statement confirming that a junior international staff member from UNICEF had provided a group called Children Rescue (one of the local names for L’Arche de Zoe) with a small amount of food supplement and babies equipment (totaling $130) on 24 September. While UNICEF regret the action it was carried out “in response to an urgent request” and without any knowledge of the true intentions of L’Arche de Zoe. However the case highlights the difficulty many NGOs are having in disassociating themselves from the actions of L’Arche de Zoe.

On the same day as the UNICEF announcement a group of 36 of the largest international NGOs involved in Chad including Save the Children, Oxfam, World Vision and Concern issued a statement saying “These actions (of L’Arche de Zoe) are not representative of the work done by international NGOs…in Chad”. This statement comes as part of a concerted effort by international NGOs in the north and east of Chad to win back the trust of the local population. Religious, Traditional and Community leaders are all being enlisted to help to calm tensions and the radio is being used to help amend any confusion. The intense publicity regarding the L’Arche de Zoe affair has heightened tensions at a dangerous time for Chad with a state of emergency complete with a curfew in certain towns in place, a shaky peace deal recently being signed and a 4500 strong EU peacekeeping force about to be deployed.

Also on 8 November, Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, issued a statement praising the actions of the Chadian government in attending to the children’s needs. In a statement issued by his spokesperson he confirmed his support for the “ongoing efforts by the Government of Chad to find a solution to the attempted abduction of 103 children from Chad by addressing their immediate needs, attempting to quickly identify and reunite them with their families, and ensuring that proper legal processes are followed. “

However, other members of the international community were beginning to lose patience with the attention President Idriss Deby is lavishing on the children. NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Save the Children have started to question exactly how concerned Deby truly is with the rights of these children in a country where one in five die before their fifth birthday, 40% do not go to school and there are thousands of child soldiers. The Chad researcher for Human Rights Watch, David Buchbinder, stated “Its hard to take them seriously when they talk about children’s welfare when they’re definitely not protecting children the way they should be.” He also drew attention to a HRW report in July which provided evidence of “very clear, open use of children in regular Chadian government military.” Aurelie Lamaziere highlighted the disproportionality of Deby’s concern for 103 children in a country where over half of the 180 000 displaced Chadians are children.

On November 6th, Idriss Deby confirmed that the 6 remaining French nationals would be tried in Chad according to Chadian law saying “Justice will be done here, in Chad.” This is in spite of President Sarkozy’s vow to bring the L’Arche de Zoe workers home to be tried in France. On the same day, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, Juan Miguel Petit, called for all those involved in the scandal to be “tried in accordance with international standards.”

On the 6th November the third quarterly review of the Humanitarian Funding Update suggests that the international community is being responsive to the problems in Chad. Out of all the countries listed Chad’s funding requirements were the nearest to being met with up to 70% of the required $260, 174, 800 already being received. The levels are expected to increase as existing pledges are confirmed.

On the 12th November a report by Medical Assistance Programmes (MAP International) detailed the importance of their partnership with Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest company devoted entirely to human vaccines. Through the scheme the MAP have been provided with 100 000 doses of diphtheria and tetanus vaccines to treat more than 30 000 people living in 12 camps along the border between Chad and Darfur.

An Irish Times article published on 8 November highlighted the many difficulties the EU Peacekeeping force may face in Chad. The force now confirmed as consisting of 4 300 troops, from 20 countries, is expected to be in Chad for 12 months and will be deployed alongside a 350 strong UN mission tasked with training police officers.

However there are doubts as to whether the numbers and timescale will be sufficient to resolve a highly complex and unstable situation. Furthermore the article draws attention to the difficulties of the hostile terrain with “huge logistical challenges” and to the problems which arise from “armed elements mixing with refugees”.

The fact that over the last 18 months more than 72 vehicles belonging to relief agencies have been stolen in desert car jacking highlights some of the difficulties the forces will face.

There are also concerns that the dominance of the French in the EU Force will further add to tensions. The French were the colonial power in Chad until 1960 and they still maintain strong military and economic links with the Chadian government.

On the 11th November a report by the International Campaign to Ban Landminesnamed Chad as one of 14 countries “almost certain not to meet its 2009 deadline for mine clearance.”

Security Situation

On 23 November, two of the major rebel groups in eastern Chad accused the government of failing to implement a peace accord and confirmed that the ceasefire brokered a month ago after the Tripoli agreement would expire on 24 November.

The groups were angered by the government’s failure to send delegates to discussions in Khartoum on how to apply the practical aspects of the Tripoli agreement.

True to their word, on 26 November, a vicious battle occurred between the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) and government forces close to the border with Darfur. The government said it had been a “total and definite annihilation of this column” with “around 50 vehicles seized, 40 vehicles destroyed, several hundred dead and several prisoners of war.” Rebel leaders, however, said they had come under attack but had routed the government troops and had only suffered 17 deaths. No independent sources have been able to verify either report.

In a second battle on 28 November the government announced it had tracked down the escaped rebels from Monday’s battle and that  “the UFDD has been completely destroyed after this battle at Hadjer Marfain”. The UFDD leader, Mahamat Nouri, had managed to escape on foot and had fled over the Sudanese border. The UFDD Secretary General, Abakar Tollimi, confirmed there had been fresh fighting but said the rebels had pushed back government forces.

In the wake of the collapsed ceasefire, various Chadian officials have laid the blame at the feet of the Sudanese government. On 27 November, General Ismael Chaibo, director general of the Chadian Intelligence Service, stated that“Sudan violated the peace deal” by lending support to the Chadian rebels.Chaibo accused the Khartoum government of reneging on commitments involving containment and disarmament. Dozens of cases of ammunition marked “Sudan” and several weapons were found on the battlefield after Monday’s fight with the UFDD.

The following day on 28 November, the Foreign Minister, Ahmat Allami summoned the Sudanese Ambasador to protest about Khartoum’s alleged arming of Chadian rebels. He accused the Sudanese government of failing on the agreement which obliged both countries to “prevent the use of their territory to shelter, mobilize, train, transit or finance armed opposition movements.”

The rebels however reiterated their accusation that it was the Chadian government who were responsible for the failure of the peace deal. Furthermore they said that had been given an ultimatum to leave Sudan by Sunday 25 November.

This escalation of violence has greatly heightened the dangers for the EU force in what was already a very risky deployment. Furthermore it appears the mission will be further delayed due to the continuing shortage of vital resources. The peacekeeping force, which was meant to begin deploying by the end of October, still lacks 10 helicopters, a third medical facility and other support assets. Despite various appeals to both EU and non EU nations such as the Ukraine, the shortfalls still remain. The issue of shortfalls has caused something of a political row between the EU’s two biggest defense nations, France and Britain. France hopes to use common EU funds to compensate nations that supply assets. But Britain, fearing it will discourage nations from buying their own equipment and instead make the biggest nations pay twice, is blocking the move.

Further exacerbating the problems facing the EU, the leader of the Assembly of Forces for Change warned on 28 November that they would fight the EU peacekeeping force as a foreign occupation army if it sided with President Idriss Deby. While EU force commanders have pledged to remain neutral, the prominence of the French who also have a bilateral defense accord with Deby raises questions about the feasibility of this.

The region is also facing increasing problems with banditry. This was highlighted on 25 November when two aid workers there were beaten with rifle butts and a security guard was shot in the leg after an attack by bandits in Koukou Angarana. Banditry has been on the increase over the last fortnight and is a cause of great concern for aid agencies in the region. Thus far, Chadian security forces had made no arrests.

Humanitarian Situation

On 28 November, the US pledged $950 000 to World Food Program operations in southern Chad to aid 47 000 Central African Republic refugees who rely on food assistance to survive. The pledge was part of $27 million total pledge to assist refugees and other people affected by humanitarian crises in several African and Asian countries.

A report by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting highlights efforts by the UNHCR to reduce the concerns of displaced Darfuris regarding their permanent exile. Their concerns arise from fears that the resettlement of Chadian Arabs on land from which they were expelled is part of a campaign by the government of Sudan to permanently change the demography of the region. The fear is that Chadian Arabs leaving eastern Chad under the pretext of fleeing violence are being encouraged to settle in the 80-90% of African or non-Arab towns razed by Janjaweed militias and Sudanese government forces. A July report by the UNHCR discovered that around 45 000 nomadic Chadians were moving into regions in West Darfur. And that many of those interviews “were clear that they did not intend to return to Chad under any circumstances.” Some said Sudanese government agencies had led them to various settlements.

The UNHCR’s bi-monthly reports of refugee and IDP populations in Chad showed a slight drop in IDP numbers from an all time high of 180 000 on 31stAugust 2007 to 178 918 on 31st October 2007. However, refugee population continued to rise steadily in both Eastern and Southern Chad, with a nationwide increase of 1400 people.