Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06NDJAMENA831
2006-06-12 15:31:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ndjamena
Cable title:
PRESIDENT DEBY TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL: STOP
how-toVZCZCXRO5990 PP RUEHROV DE RUEHNJ #0831/01 1631531 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 121531Z JUN 06 FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3921 INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0009 RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 0021 RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0240
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000831
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2010
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL CD SU
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT DEBY TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL: STOP
SUDANESE ATTACKS ON CHAD
REF: KHARTOUM 1362
NDJAMENA 00000831 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Ambassador Marc Wall for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000831
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2010
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL CD SU
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT DEBY TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL: STOP
SUDANESE ATTACKS ON CHAD
REF: KHARTOUM 1362
NDJAMENA 00000831 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Ambassador Marc Wall for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY: President Deby made an impassioned plea
for UN intervention in Darfur and along Chad's border in a
meeting with members of the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) June 10. He accused Sudan of aggression against Chad
and warned that Chad's collapse would spread chaos in the
region. He denied reports of Chadian support for groups
obstructing implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement
(DPA). He called for pressure to encourage groups in Darfur
who had not signed the DPA to do so. He made thinly veiled
references to China's support for Sudanese attacks on Chad.
He said Chad would file a formal complaint against Sudan
before the UNSC. Earlier in the day the UNSC members also
made a whirlwind tour of the Djabal camp for Sudanese
refugees and a settlement of displaced Chadians in eastern
Chad. END SUMMARY
2. (U) The members of the UN Security Council met President
Deby for nearly two hours June 10 during their visit to Chad
June 9-10. On the Chadian side, Prime Minister Yoadimnadji,
Foreign Minister Allam-mi, Minister of Territorial
Administration Mahamat Ali, President Deby's older
half-brother Daoussa Deby, and other ministers and advisors
joined the meeting.
--------------
Sudan as the Aggressor; Chad as the Victim
--------------
3. (C) In a lengthy and sometimes repetitious opening
statement, Deby charged Sudan with seeking to destabilize
Chad. He asserted that by exporting its war in Darfur into
Chad, it also risked destabilizing the region. Sudan is
sending its mercenaries into Chad, Deby argued. It is arming
and equipping terrorists, jandjaweed forces, and popular
defense militias to burn villages, rape Chadian women, and
steal cattle. 70,000 Chadians had been victimized, he
claimed. The arms used to attack Chad were made in Sudan and
in a major Asian country. This is happening despite Chad's
efforts to help Sudan find a solution to its crisis in
Darfur. Chad had welcomed 300,000 Sudanese refugees. But
Sudan does not want the refugees to return. It has supported
genocide, and now it seeks to extend that genocide beyond its
border. Chad is the victim, he stressed. It does not
deserve this.
4. (C) Deby stated that Chad had long tried to warn the
international community of the risk of the destabilization of
Chad and the region. The African Union has done little to
address the problem, he asserted. It has not even condemned
Sudan's aggression against Chad. It is incapable of taking
effective action. Similarly, he continued, the accord in
Tripoli meant to secure the border was signed four months
ago, but it has not been implemented at all. The only
solution, he argued, was UN intervention. The international
community must confront Sudan and impose a peace-keeping
force. It must act to restore order and allow the refugees
and displaced peoples to return to their homes. He announced
that Chad will lodge a formal complaint against Sudan before
the Security Council.
5. (C) On the DPA, Deby said Chad wants the Darfur crisis
resolved now. Its only interest is peace. He had met SLM
leader Minni Minawi as well as others who had not signed the
agreement. He had urged JEM leader Khalil to sign it. He
was concerned about the attacks on the humanitarian relief
workers in eastern Chad and said the Chadian army had
retrieved some of their stolen vehicles. He stated that Chad
could no longer protect the refugee camps. It could not even
protect itself. That is why, he explained, Chad had appealed
for help to provide security for the camps and the
humanitarian workers.
--------------
Chadian Support for DPA Obstructionists?
--------------
6. (C) Speaking first in response, French UN Ambassador De
La Sabliere acknowledged the links between the conflict in
Darfur and instability in Chad. He stated that the
international community is committed to help implement the
DPA. He urged the Darfur representatives who had not signed
to do so. He expressed concern over reports of Chadian
support for those seeking to obstruct its implementation. He
told Deby the international community was seeking to help
assure security for the refugee camps.
NDJAMENA 00000831 002.2 OF 003
7. (C) Deby responded first to the issue of alleged Chadian
support for groups in Darfur attacking supporters of the DPA.
Chad is a poor country, he answered. It does not have the
means to provide vehicles or other support to those
obstructing the DPA's implementation. He denied the presence
of Sudanese rebel forces in Chad. If Chad allows their
representatives to transit through Chad, it is only because
the international community has made that request. Chad has
provided refuge to the Sudanese victims in Darfur since 2003.
Some of the camps are too close to the border. He admitted
that some of the DPA's opponents are involved in recruiting
in the camps. He had ordered the gendarmes to police the
camps, but they do not have the means to do so. The
international community must put pressure on all Darfur rebel
groups to sign the DPA, he maintained.
8. (C) UK Ambassador Jones Parry reaffirmed the UNSC's
commitment to the DPA and to introducing a peace-keeping
force in Darfur. He said that the UNSC and the AU are paying
close attention to anyone impeding the DPA. He asked Deby
for an estimate of the number of troops needed to establish
security on the border. ROC Ambassador Ikouebe expressed
concern over the risk of Chad's destabilization and said the
AU understands the impact of the conflict in Darfur on Chad.
9. (C) Deby cautioned against excluding groups who had not
signed the DPA. He urged putting pressure on them to
encourage them to join. He accused Khartoum of bad faith in
the way it is seeking to extend the inter-ethnic war in
Darfur into Chad. He charged that Khartoum is also complicit
in the theft of vehicles used by humanitarian workers. He
estimated that it would take some 500 vehicles to assure
security for the camps and to prevent raids by jandjaweed and
mercenaries. A UN force must secure the border areas using
any means necessary, he argued.
--------------
Why Deby Didn't Go to Tripoli
--------------
10. (C) Tanzanian Ambassador Mahiga stressed the need to
assure the "humanitarian character" of the camps and prevent
recruitment by Darfur rebel groups in them. He asked Deby
why he had not attended the recent summit meeting of leaders
of North African and Sahelian countries. He said President
Bashir had expected to meet Deby there and had used Deby's
absence as an excuse for not implementing the Tripoli
Agreement. Why is everyone speaking so much about refugees
anyway, Deby asked in response. What about Sudanese
aggression against Chad? He said he had gone to Tripoli to
sign the Agreement, but the agenda for the most recent summit
meeting included nothing on Sudanese attacks on Chad. In
fact, he pointed out, at the same time as that meeting was
underway, Bashir was supporting rebel incursions into Chad
(i.e., the assault by forces affiliated with Timon Erdimi on
Tine on June 3).
11. (C) In closing, Deby reiterated that the UNSC must
understand the threat posed by Sudan against Chad. Sudan's
internal crisis is driving it to destabilize Chad and the
region. Chad is a bridge into the rest of Sub-Saharan
Africa. If it falls, the consequences will be extremely
grave for the region. Sudan endangers the refugees and the
Chadian displaced peoples, and the AU cannot do the job. The
UN must act.
-------------- --------------
A Quick Visit to the Refugees and Displaced Chadians
-------------- --------------
12. (U) The UNSC delegation and its press entourage had a
chance to see the situation on the ground during a rushed
visit to eastern Chad earlier in the day. Deftly herded by
UNHCR's logistics team, the group traveled in a French
Transall aircraft to Abeche, then in three small aircraft and
two helicopters to the border town of Goz Beida to the south.
There one contingent toured the Djabal refugee camp with
nearly 15,000 residents, mainly from the Massalite ethnic
group. Another contingent stopped in the nearby settlement
for approximately 12,000 Chadians (mainly Dadjo) displaced by
jandjaweed attacks in the last few months.
--------------
Comment
--------------
13. (C) This harangue was vintage Deby -- hard-hitting,
accusatory, desperate. For him, Chadian rebels do not exist.
NDJAMENA 00000831 003.2 OF 003
His failure to reconcile his political opposition has
nothing to do with the problems he faces. Sudan is
completely to blame. We had heard this before. What we had
not heard from him before was his reference to the support of
what he termed a major Asian country for Sudan's actions
against Chad. PRC Ambassador Wang Guangya remained silent
throughout the exchange.
14. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED.
WALL
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2010
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL CD SU
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT DEBY TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL: STOP
SUDANESE ATTACKS ON CHAD
REF: KHARTOUM 1362
NDJAMENA 00000831 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Ambassador Marc Wall for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY: President Deby made an impassioned plea
for UN intervention in Darfur and along Chad's border in a
meeting with members of the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) June 10. He accused Sudan of aggression against Chad
and warned that Chad's collapse would spread chaos in the
region. He denied reports of Chadian support for groups
obstructing implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement
(DPA). He called for pressure to encourage groups in Darfur
who had not signed the DPA to do so. He made thinly veiled
references to China's support for Sudanese attacks on Chad.
He said Chad would file a formal complaint against Sudan
before the UNSC. Earlier in the day the UNSC members also
made a whirlwind tour of the Djabal camp for Sudanese
refugees and a settlement of displaced Chadians in eastern
Chad. END SUMMARY
2. (U) The members of the UN Security Council met President
Deby for nearly two hours June 10 during their visit to Chad
June 9-10. On the Chadian side, Prime Minister Yoadimnadji,
Foreign Minister Allam-mi, Minister of Territorial
Administration Mahamat Ali, President Deby's older
half-brother Daoussa Deby, and other ministers and advisors
joined the meeting.
--------------
Sudan as the Aggressor; Chad as the Victim
--------------
3. (C) In a lengthy and sometimes repetitious opening
statement, Deby charged Sudan with seeking to destabilize
Chad. He asserted that by exporting its war in Darfur into
Chad, it also risked destabilizing the region. Sudan is
sending its mercenaries into Chad, Deby argued. It is arming
and equipping terrorists, jandjaweed forces, and popular
defense militias to burn villages, rape Chadian women, and
steal cattle. 70,000 Chadians had been victimized, he
claimed. The arms used to attack Chad were made in Sudan and
in a major Asian country. This is happening despite Chad's
efforts to help Sudan find a solution to its crisis in
Darfur. Chad had welcomed 300,000 Sudanese refugees. But
Sudan does not want the refugees to return. It has supported
genocide, and now it seeks to extend that genocide beyond its
border. Chad is the victim, he stressed. It does not
deserve this.
4. (C) Deby stated that Chad had long tried to warn the
international community of the risk of the destabilization of
Chad and the region. The African Union has done little to
address the problem, he asserted. It has not even condemned
Sudan's aggression against Chad. It is incapable of taking
effective action. Similarly, he continued, the accord in
Tripoli meant to secure the border was signed four months
ago, but it has not been implemented at all. The only
solution, he argued, was UN intervention. The international
community must confront Sudan and impose a peace-keeping
force. It must act to restore order and allow the refugees
and displaced peoples to return to their homes. He announced
that Chad will lodge a formal complaint against Sudan before
the Security Council.
5. (C) On the DPA, Deby said Chad wants the Darfur crisis
resolved now. Its only interest is peace. He had met SLM
leader Minni Minawi as well as others who had not signed the
agreement. He had urged JEM leader Khalil to sign it. He
was concerned about the attacks on the humanitarian relief
workers in eastern Chad and said the Chadian army had
retrieved some of their stolen vehicles. He stated that Chad
could no longer protect the refugee camps. It could not even
protect itself. That is why, he explained, Chad had appealed
for help to provide security for the camps and the
humanitarian workers.
--------------
Chadian Support for DPA Obstructionists?
--------------
6. (C) Speaking first in response, French UN Ambassador De
La Sabliere acknowledged the links between the conflict in
Darfur and instability in Chad. He stated that the
international community is committed to help implement the
DPA. He urged the Darfur representatives who had not signed
to do so. He expressed concern over reports of Chadian
support for those seeking to obstruct its implementation. He
told Deby the international community was seeking to help
assure security for the refugee camps.
NDJAMENA 00000831 002.2 OF 003
7. (C) Deby responded first to the issue of alleged Chadian
support for groups in Darfur attacking supporters of the DPA.
Chad is a poor country, he answered. It does not have the
means to provide vehicles or other support to those
obstructing the DPA's implementation. He denied the presence
of Sudanese rebel forces in Chad. If Chad allows their
representatives to transit through Chad, it is only because
the international community has made that request. Chad has
provided refuge to the Sudanese victims in Darfur since 2003.
Some of the camps are too close to the border. He admitted
that some of the DPA's opponents are involved in recruiting
in the camps. He had ordered the gendarmes to police the
camps, but they do not have the means to do so. The
international community must put pressure on all Darfur rebel
groups to sign the DPA, he maintained.
8. (C) UK Ambassador Jones Parry reaffirmed the UNSC's
commitment to the DPA and to introducing a peace-keeping
force in Darfur. He said that the UNSC and the AU are paying
close attention to anyone impeding the DPA. He asked Deby
for an estimate of the number of troops needed to establish
security on the border. ROC Ambassador Ikouebe expressed
concern over the risk of Chad's destabilization and said the
AU understands the impact of the conflict in Darfur on Chad.
9. (C) Deby cautioned against excluding groups who had not
signed the DPA. He urged putting pressure on them to
encourage them to join. He accused Khartoum of bad faith in
the way it is seeking to extend the inter-ethnic war in
Darfur into Chad. He charged that Khartoum is also complicit
in the theft of vehicles used by humanitarian workers. He
estimated that it would take some 500 vehicles to assure
security for the camps and to prevent raids by jandjaweed and
mercenaries. A UN force must secure the border areas using
any means necessary, he argued.
--------------
Why Deby Didn't Go to Tripoli
--------------
10. (C) Tanzanian Ambassador Mahiga stressed the need to
assure the "humanitarian character" of the camps and prevent
recruitment by Darfur rebel groups in them. He asked Deby
why he had not attended the recent summit meeting of leaders
of North African and Sahelian countries. He said President
Bashir had expected to meet Deby there and had used Deby's
absence as an excuse for not implementing the Tripoli
Agreement. Why is everyone speaking so much about refugees
anyway, Deby asked in response. What about Sudanese
aggression against Chad? He said he had gone to Tripoli to
sign the Agreement, but the agenda for the most recent summit
meeting included nothing on Sudanese attacks on Chad. In
fact, he pointed out, at the same time as that meeting was
underway, Bashir was supporting rebel incursions into Chad
(i.e., the assault by forces affiliated with Timon Erdimi on
Tine on June 3).
11. (C) In closing, Deby reiterated that the UNSC must
understand the threat posed by Sudan against Chad. Sudan's
internal crisis is driving it to destabilize Chad and the
region. Chad is a bridge into the rest of Sub-Saharan
Africa. If it falls, the consequences will be extremely
grave for the region. Sudan endangers the refugees and the
Chadian displaced peoples, and the AU cannot do the job. The
UN must act.
-------------- --------------
A Quick Visit to the Refugees and Displaced Chadians
-------------- --------------
12. (U) The UNSC delegation and its press entourage had a
chance to see the situation on the ground during a rushed
visit to eastern Chad earlier in the day. Deftly herded by
UNHCR's logistics team, the group traveled in a French
Transall aircraft to Abeche, then in three small aircraft and
two helicopters to the border town of Goz Beida to the south.
There one contingent toured the Djabal refugee camp with
nearly 15,000 residents, mainly from the Massalite ethnic
group. Another contingent stopped in the nearby settlement
for approximately 12,000 Chadians (mainly Dadjo) displaced by
jandjaweed attacks in the last few months.
--------------
Comment
--------------
13. (C) This harangue was vintage Deby -- hard-hitting,
accusatory, desperate. For him, Chadian rebels do not exist.
NDJAMENA 00000831 003.2 OF 003
His failure to reconcile his political opposition has
nothing to do with the problems he faces. Sudan is
completely to blame. We had heard this before. What we had
not heard from him before was his reference to the support of
what he termed a major Asian country for Sudan's actions
against Chad. PRC Ambassador Wang Guangya remained silent
throughout the exchange.
14. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED.
WALL