CHADIAN ARMY PURSUES REBELS INTO SUDAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L NDJAMENA 001416 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: PUBLIC RELEASE OF THIS INFORMATION BUT NO LATER THAN 12/13/2007 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SU CD SUBJECT: CHADIAN ARMY PURSUES REBELS INTO SUDAN REF: NDJAMENA 1199 Classified By: Ambassador Marc Wall for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Chadian army units crossed into Sudanese territory late on December 12 in pursuit of Chadian rebel forces, according to Acting Foreign Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor in a brief meeting held at his request with the Ambassador December 13. Doumgor said he was under instructions from President Idriss Deby Itno to inform us that Chad had taken this action with the intention of destroying the remaining rebel forces and their support bases in Sudan. He called on Sudan to respect the Tripoli agreements and end its support for the Chadian rebels. He asked the United States and other diplomatic partners to deliver the same message to Khartoum. He provided no further details. 2, (C) The Ambassador reiterated U.S. concerns about spreading violence on the border. He noted that Special Envoy for Sudan Natsios is meeting Sudanese President Bashir today and plans to travel to Chad tomorrow. ¶3. (SBU) Reports are coming in of a major engagement December 12 in the border area near Hadjar Marfaine, the scene of a clash between the Chadian army and forces loyal to Timan Erdimi in late September. In this most recent battle, Erdimi's forces are reported to have joined with those under Mahamat Nouri's United Front for Democracy and Development to resist the Chadian army's attack. We have not yet received reliable accounts of the results. President Deby remains in eastern Chad overseeing the operations. ¶4. (SBU) The latest engagement near Hadjar Marfaine follows a major clash near Biltine December 9 where heavy casualties were reported. Both sides have claimed victory, but some observers believe the Chadian army suffered the worst. ¶5. (C) We have received reports confirming that Chadian army units are now in Sudan some 20 kilometers northwest of El Geneina. ¶6. (C) Comment: Chadian officials have signaled to us for some time that a move into Sudanese territory to chase down Chadian rebels was imminent (ref). They recently announced that a state of war existed between the two countries. End Comment WALL