UNSC/SUDAN: CHAD INSTABILITY IS REGIONAL THREAT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000800 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CD CT PGOV PREL SU UNSC SUBJECT: UNSC/SUDAN: CHAD INSTABILITY IS REGIONAL THREAT USUN NEW Y 00000800 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. At April 13 consultations, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Africa Director Titov gave the Security Council an overview of the current situation in Chad and its potential consequences for regional stability, calling for a strengthening of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to enhance its capacity to address this threat. Congolese PermRep Ikouebe, speaking on behalf of the African Union (AU),set the stage for a U.S. amendment to his delegation's proposed Press Statement (text in Paragraph 8) by linking Chad/Sudan instability to uncertainty at the Abuja Talks. He further urged that the SC focus not on accusations and denials of responsibility exchanged between the Chadian Government (GOC) and the Sudanese Government of National Unity (GNU),but rather on condemning any attempt to seize power by force, which could imperil the Darfur peace process underway in Abuja. Ikouebe went on to say that AMIS transition by September 30 could be threatened if Chad-Sudan tensions were left unaddressed. Not entirely heeding Ikouebe's admonition to ignore accusations between the sides, French PR de La Sabliere gave a lengthy and hard-hitting exposition on the close links between the Janjaweed and the Chadian Zaghawa rebels, charging that Chad was 'a victim of the conflict in Darfur.' END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) At April 13 consultations, UN DPKO Africa Director Dmitry Titov gave the UNSC an overview of the current situation in Chad and its potential consequences for regional stability. He reported the situation in N'Djamena as 'fluid,' as of 05:00A.M. local time, with shelling and machine gun fire audible but with President Deby's forces in control of the city. Titov noted that GOC forces had repelled the advancing rebel column as it neared the National Assembly and that some rebels had been taken prisoner. Titov also mentioned that France was enforcing its national contingency in country. ¶3. (SBU) Titov gave a general description of the situation on the Chad/Sudan border, noting that 'armed nomad militias' from Sudan and burgeoning rebel movements from Chad had been clashing there for the past year, culminating in the GOC's declaring a 'state of belligerence' with the GNU after charging Sudan with aiding and abetting Tama-led rebels in the 18 December 2005 attack on the town of Adre. Despite the confidence-building measures under the February 8 Tripoli Accord to which both the GOC and the GNU had agreed, both countries continued to exchange accusations, Chadian forces continued to defect to rebel movements and rebels continued to fortify strongholds in Darfur. Titov said that dialogue and a renunciation of violence by both sides would be necessary. ¶4. (SBU) Titov noted the negative effect Chad/Sudan tensions could have on IDPs and refugees, with camps in southern Chad already exposed to rebel attacks and raids, the possibility of targeting civilians and potential refugee flows as far as Cameroon. Humanitarian staff remained in place in N'Djamena and Abeche, but Titov said an aircraft from the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) was on standby in the event NGO and UN staff evacuation became necessary. Titov said DPKO was liaising with AMIS, which should be strengthened as much as possible to enhance its capacity to address the Chad/Sudan issue. Titov appealed for the international community - namely the SC, the AU and the SYG - to remain engaged and acknowledged that the proposed SC Press Statement offered by the Congolese was a step in the right direction. ¶5. (SBU) Congolese PermRep Ikouebe, speaking on behalf of the AU Presidency, was quick to highlight what the AU saw a the inextricable link between Chad-Sudan tensions and the future of the Abuja Talks: 'Destabilization in one means destabilization in the other.' Ikouebe acknowledged Chad's predicament of being party to negotiations in which it accuses one of the sides of equipping rebels in Chadian territory. Ikouebe urged that the SC focus not on USUN NEW Y 00000800 002.2 OF 003 accusations and denials of responsibility exchanged between the GOC and the GNU, but rather on condemning any attempt to seize power by force (a major priority for the AU),an action which could imperil the Darfur peace process underway in Abuja. Further, Ikouebe stated, there was now hope that an agreement would be reached on AMIS transition, progress that could be threatened if Chad-Sudan tensions were left unaddressed. ¶6. (SBU) French PermRep de La Sabliere French PR de La Sabliere gave a lengthy and hard-hitting exposition on the close links between the Janjaweed and the Chadian Zaghawa rebels, charging that Chad was 'a victim of the conflict in Darfur.' He was explicit in referring to both the rebels who orchestrated the 18 December 2005 Adre attack and the column of 800 who penetrated Chad via Central African Republic (CAR) as 'Arabs' including Sudanese Janjaweed. De La Sabliere noted the rebels were heavily armed, with 60 vehicles and new equipment, a product of the continued arms trafficking in Sudan that was further contributing to Chadian destabilization. He cited Chadian President Deby's decision to forgo solidarity with his own Zaghawa tribe in concluding the 8 April 2004 N'Djamena Ceasefire Agreement as the reason behind the tribe's uniting with Darfur fighters against him to weaken his position. Zaghawa rebels, de La Sabliere continued, could see a further opportunity for destabilization in the Abuja process, thus jeopardizing the international community's political efforts to solve the Darfur crisis. De La Sabliere also expressed considerable concern for the security of CAR. ¶7. (SBU) In the wake of these interventions, Ambassador Bolton proposed adding language to the Congolese draft Press Statement urging the parties in Abuja to conclude an agreement by April 30 for the sake of regional stability; this amendment was unanimously endorsed. Both the Ghanaian and the Tanzanian representatives recommended inclusion of language encouraging Chadian parties to subscribe to the electoral process underway. Peruvian PR de Rivero requested adding a line condemning attacks on refugee camps. Congolese PR Ikouebe was amenable to all suggestions and noted that the AU Peace and Security Council would convene imminently to endorse the resultant statement from the SC. He went on to say that future AU action on the matter should be in concert with the SYG. ¶8. (U) Begin Press Statement text: The situation in Darfur and the mounting tension at the border between Sudan and Chad was under consideration by the members of the Security Council. The members of the Security Council express their deep concern regarding the deteriorating situation in Darfur and recent attacks by armed groups in Chad. The members of the Security Council condemn attacks on the refugee camps. The members of the Security Council condemn any attempt to seize power by force, pursuant to the resolution of Algiers adopted in 1999 by the African Union Organization and call on the rebels to put an end to violence and to participate in the democratic process. The members of the Security Council urge the Governments of Sudan and Chad to respect the Tripoli Declaration and Agreement of 8 February 2006 endorsed on 10 March 2006 by the 46th meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and to fully implement the commitments made and to facilitate the work of the relevant follow-up mechanisms that have been agreed upon in the Tripoli Declaration and Agreement. The members of the Security Council express support for the USUN NEW Y 00000800 003.2 OF 003 efforts of the African Union and invite the Secretary-General and the African Union to make available their good offices to address this crisis. The members of the Security Council also urge the parties to the Abuja peace talks to conclude a peace agreement by April 30, as called for by the African Union's Peace and Security Council, in order to contribute to the peace and stability of the entire region. ¶9. (U) End Press Statement text. BOLTON