GOC PLANS TO PURGE GUEREDA?

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 001333

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE, SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CD SU
SUBJECT: GOC PLANS TO PURGE GUEREDA?


SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in
Guereda report escalating ethnic violence between
Zaghawas and Tamas, and suspect the Government of Chad
(GOC) is stepping up its campaign to purge Guereda of
Tamas. NGOs accuse the GOC of trying to eliminate any
possibility of international scrutiny of such
activities. They contend that local authorities are
encouraged to turn a blind eye to acts of vandalism
against NGOs, such as the November 6 theft of two
vehicles from the International Medical Corps (IMC)
compound, as part of a top-down strategy to drive them
out of the area. Local Guereda authorities held fast
to their standard line of support for humanitarian
efforts and of harsh words for Sudan, which they
consider the source of all local troubles. Meanwhile
internally displaced persons (IDPs),all Tama, are
steadily flowing in to areas around the refugee camps
of Mile and Kounoungo. On one point, however, NGOs and
local officials agree: the need for a United Nations
(UN) presence on the Chad-Sudan border to address the
insecurity. END SUMMARY.

GUEREDA NGOS CRY CONSPIRACY
--------------


2. (SBU) NGOs in Guereda suspect the Zaghawa-dominated
GOC is stepping up its campaign to purge the area of
members of the rival Tama tribe by empowering local
Zaghawa authorities and military forces to rout the
Tama from their villages. [COMMENT: A Tama led rebel
group has been actively trying to overthrow the GOC and
had attacked well into Chadian territory in September.
This group is based in Guereda vicinity and is drawing
support from local Tama there. END COMMENT] The IMC-
administered Guereda Hospital received at least ten men
with gunshot wounds during the week of November 6.
UNHCR Guereda Protection Officer told Poloff on
November 9 that "Zaghawas are killing Tamas every day
and no one can do anything about it," given the Zaghawa-
dominated authorities. As a result of this
persecution, UNHCR and NGOs including CARE and IMC
reported a new wave of IDPs to the Guereda area and its
surrounding refugee camps of Mile and Kounoungo: over
the past two weeks waves of individuals and families
have been arriving from Sonout, now numbering between
250 and 300. NGOs have limited access to these groups
and have been hindered in this effort by the local
prefecture, which denies the existence of new IDPs.


3. (SBU) NGOs contend that the GOC is trying to keep
them quiet about what the humanitarian community sees
as a top-down effort to rid Guereda of Tamas. To do
this, NGOs contend that local authorities are
encouraged to turn a blind eye to acts of vandalism
against them in an effort to drive them out of the
area. On November 6 six armed men attacked the IMC
compound after 1:00 A.M., with three men jumping the
barbed wire fence to steal two vehicles with the most
fuel (one from IMC, one from UNHCR) while the other
three waited outside the compound. The vehicles were
identified at a checkpoint at Moudre but were waved
through, reportedly by the order of the presiding
commander. On November 12 the two stolen vehicles were
recovered in Sudan. [COMMENT: Vehicle thefts are not
new, nor is the fact that GOC authorities have been
unable and/or unwilling to stop such occurrences or to
punish perpetrators. END COMMENT]


4. (SBU) In light of this tension, UNHCR reported it
was difficult to maintain the civilian nature of the
refugee camps, whose inhabitants are predominantly
Zaghawa. Three refugees were arrested by local
authorities during the week of October 30 for carrying
arms outside of Mile, and IMC reported that a large
weapons cache was confiscated from refugees in
Kounoungo during the same time period.

LOCAL AUTHORITIES BLAME SUDAN FOR GUEREDA INSTABILITY
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) The Prefet of Guereda told visiting U.S.
PolOff and OFDA officer on November 9 that it was the
Sudanese who were inciting Chad's ethnic problems and
accordingly creating problems for the humanitarian
community in Guereda. He alluded to an emerging "Arab
alliance" intent on destabilizing sub-Saharan Africa,
having begun in Darfur and set to spread, if the
Sudanese Government of National Unity (GNU) and the
Janjaweed have their way, through Chad where he said
the GNU planned to install an ArabPresident) to the

NDJAMENA 00001333 002 OF 002


Central African Republic and Cameroon. The Prefet
blamed Guereda's proximity to Kulbus (45km away) for
the November 6 theft at the IMC compound and insisted
that rumors of collaboration between those who
perpetrated that attack and the military were
unfounded.


6. (SBU) The Prefet did not engage in discussions on
the recent influx of IDPs, despite attempts by CARE and
UNHCR to bring it up in conversation. The Prefet
blamed the GNU for not being able to control its own
borders and mentioned an increase in cross-border
incursions by the Janjaweed that increased instability.

UN FORCE COULD BE PART OF GUEREDA SOLUTION
--------------


7. (SBU) The only point on which both the NGO
community and local officials could agree was how to
address, at least in the short-term, Guereda
instability, and that was by means of a UN force on the
Chad-Sudan border. UNHCR said a UN presence could help
stem Zaghawa "anarchy" against the Tamas in Guereda and
force the GOC to focus efforts on protection of
refugees and humanitarian workers. IMC contended that
thousands of troops would ultimately be needed to
police the immense border area but conceded that even a
token presence at the outset could help in protection.
The Guereda Prefet was emphatic that the GOC had always
supported an international border force, whether it be
Chadian-Sudanese (per the Tripoli Accords) or UN. The
Prefet added that the GNU was fully aware that a border
force would put the international spotlight on Sudanese
activities in Darfur and eastern Chad, another reason
for the GOC to welcome the arrival of such a presence.