Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06NDJAMENA929
2006-07-10 16:31:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ndjamena
Cable title:  

CHAD: MARAUDING YOUTH THREATEN HUMANITARIAN WORKERS

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM KCRS ASEC PHUM CD 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4400
RR RUEHGI RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNJ #0929/01 1911631
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101631Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4043
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1206
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0820
RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 0686
RUEHGI/AMEMBASSY BANGUI 1211
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1126
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0271
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0884
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1473
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0602
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 2741
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1870
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 1270
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0764
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0827
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0265
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000929 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR AF, AFC, DRL, PRM, S/CRS
ALSO FOR DS/IP/AF AND DS/IP/ITA
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER
NAIROBI FOR OFDA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KCRS ASEC PHUM CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: MARAUDING YOUTH THREATEN HUMANITARIAN WORKERS

---------
SUMMARY:
---------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000929

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR AF, AFC, DRL, PRM, S/CRS
ALSO FOR DS/IP/AF AND DS/IP/ITA
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER
NAIROBI FOR OFDA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KCRS ASEC PHUM CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: MARAUDING YOUTH THREATEN HUMANITARIAN WORKERS

--------------
SUMMARY:
--------------


1. (SBU) A tense day of stand-off between local youths
ostensibly demonstrating for employment, and humanitarian
NGOs working in the Sudanese refugee camps outside the
eastern Chadian town of Bahai ended July 7 with one locally
engaged staff member of the International Rescue Committee
injured. The incident was a culmination of growing tensions
in the town. NGOs have suggested a set of concrete actions
they expect of the Chadian authorities, without which they
may have to pull back to only essential activities. Although
relatively simple actions might address the security of the
NGO staff, the broader issue of the location of the
Bahai-based refugee camps also needs to be addressed. END
SUMMARY

--------------
UNDER SIEGE IN BAHAI
--------------


2. (SBU) Field offices of humanitarian organizations in the
eastern Chad town of Bahai reported to headquarters in
N'Djamena July 7, 07:30 local time, that their compounds were
surrounded by "marauding youth" and that they were being
"held hostage" in their compounds. Post's Democracy and
Development Officer was also telephoned with the news. The
organizations under threat included the French NGO ACTED, the
U.S.-based International Rescue Committee (IRC),the World
Food Program (WFP),and the United Nations High Commission
for Refugees (UNHCR). Youths demanding employment, as well
as some individuals in military uniforms, in groups of 15-20,
blocked access to the compounds, effectively trapping the
occupants inside. The youth threatened violence, and some
were armed with batons and knives. Some appeared to be
communicating among themselves and among the groups with
hand-held two-way radios. IRC reports that the youths beat
up one of IRC's locally engaged staff members.


3. (SBU) This incident was the culmination of a sequence of
events that had begun on June 30, when youths demanding
employment had demonstrated against the humanitarian

organizations in Bahai, again blocking ACTED staff in their
compound as quasi "hostages". UNHCR, IRC, and ACTED Heads of
Mission met on July 4, and issued a joint letter to the local
authorities (at the "Prefet" level) to express their opinion
that such a situation was unacceptable. They held a
four-hour follow-up meeting with the local authorities and
youth representatives on July 6, only to find themselves
confronted with even more virulent demonstrations the next
day.


4. (SBU) The July 7 standoff continued throughout the day.
Over time, international and locally engaged staff were able
to depart individual organization compounds to group together
at the UNHCR facility. Post's RSO, acting on reports from
the Democracy and Development Officer, made contact with
IRC's head in Bahai, as well as with security officers for
UNHCR. He intervened with the National Gendarmerie Director
in N'Djamena and requested immediate action. Ambassador Wall
discussed the situation in the course of the day with the IRC
head, and then met with the UNHCR's Director for Chad to
coordinate our eventual responses. The UNHCR Director had
himself intervened at the level of the Ministers of Foreign
Affairs and African Integration, and of National Territory,
and met with the French Ambassador. The Delegation of the
European Commission (EC) urgently demarched the Government of
Chad (GOC),noting that the local authorities appeared unable
to control the situation, expressing its deep concern, and

NDJAMENA 00000929 002 OF 003


asking that immediate measures be taken to ensure the safety
of the NGOs and UN organizations. By evening, locally based
gendarmes had dispersed the youth, and two-officer units had
been placed at each of the ACTED, IRC, and UNHCR compounds
for the night.


5. (SBU) IRC was informed that evening that the GOC had
redeployed some troop units from Tine (south of Bahai) to
secure the town. Stand-by evacuation flights were organized
in Abeche. The weekend of July 8-9 has passed without
further incident.

--------------
ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES ONLY
--------------


6. (SBU) The affected organizations' field office heads
gathered later on July 7 to discuss the security constraints
under which they were working, and to outline short- and
medium-term measures they believe must be taken in order for
them to resume normal operations. They have presented these
recommendations to the UNHCR Director. The IRC head provided
them to post. They state that:

(a) An increase in security is necessary to continue normal
operations.

(b) The return of the Prefet to Bahai to restore order, and a
visit from the regional Governor to address continuing
attacks and demonstrations, are required.

(c) The environment of impunity must be addressed, with the
aggressors who had attacked staff members, whose identities
are known to the authorities, arrested and brought to justice.

(d) If security cannot be guaranteed through these and/or
other actions, IRC and ACTED will decrease their expatriate
and locally engaged staff, and will conduct only essential
activities.

--------------
WHAT WORKED;
WHAT DOESN'T
--------------


7. (SBU) It would appear that RSO's intervention with the
National Gendarmerie command structure, and that of the UNHCR
Director at the Ministerial level, may have been the deciding
factors in getting GOC action to defuse the situation on July

7. That said, the essential problems facing NGOs and UN
organizations in Bahai remain unresolved. At the micro
level, there are real questions that can be asked about
hiring practices among these organizations. While
well-meaning Chadians agree that merit must govern the
employment of locally engaged staff, they have pointed out
that there are positions that may not require much in the way
of qualifications. Setting some of these aside for
individuals hailing form the region might engender better
will.


8. (SBU) However, stepping back, it is clear that the
authorities have been insufficiently responsive to the
overall security concerns of these organizations, whose staff
are providing services to camps of Sudanese refugees located
outside Bahai. And at the macro level, the UNHCR Director
points out that these camps are in no way placed
geographically so that they can be properly managed in any
other than a short-term, maintenance-oriented fashion. He
noted that their close proximity to the Sudanese border made
them vulnerable to both attack and recruitment, as had been

NDJAMENA 00000929 003 OF 003


recently seen. He suggested that, while this might be
tolerable for a short time, it was untenable in the longer
term. He wondered within what time frame he should
realistically be working -- one which saw the refugees
returning home to Sudan as part of a successfully implemented
Darfur Peace Agreement, or one that took a longer view, more
in keeping with typical patterns of refugee flows.


9. (SBU) This longer time frame, in keeping with broad
African and international patterns, implied planning for the
refugees in this area of Chad to be encamped for the next 10
or more years. The UNHCR Director noted that the area around
Bahai was totally unacceptable with such a time frame in
view. He reported that the Minister for Territorial
Administration had brought up the same question, noting that
Chad simply could not provide security to the refugees camped
so close to the Sudanese border. The UNHCR Director felt
that, while some limited improvements to Gendarme coverage in
Bahai (and local authorities' attitudes) could address the
immediate security concerns of humanitarian NGOs, much more
would be needed to make a significant change to the
environment of the camps they served.


10. (U) Tripoli Minimize Considered.
WALL