CLASHES CONTINUE, IDP SITUATION WORSENS IN EASTERN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000325 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS KHARTOUM PLEASE PASS TO THE D DELEGATION E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF PREL UNSC CD SU SUBJECT: CLASHES CONTINUE, IDP SITUATION WORSENS IN EASTERN CHAD REF: A. NDJAMENA 324 ¶B. IIR 6 910 0159 07 ¶C. IIR 6 910 0157 07 ¶D. IIR 6 910 0152 07 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Over the last two weeks the security and humanitarian situation in eastern Chad has taken a dangerous turn for the worse. The Dar Sila region near the border with Sudan south of Abeche has been the scene of attacks by janjaweed militias, an upsurge in new Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),clashes between Chadian army and rebel forces, a Chadian army raid into Sudan, and a confrontation between Chadian and Sudanese troops. Without concerted efforts to ease tensions and restore security in the border region, fighting between Chadian and Sudanese army and rebel forces could escalate and violence against civilian populations will worsen. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) Recent events in the Dar Sila region near the border with Sudan in southeastern Chad prompted a spate of inquiries about what happened and why. This account seeks to piece together what we know about the situation here. -------------- Marena and Tiero -------------- ¶3. (U) The latest round of violence started in the early morning hours on Saturday, March 31 when gangs on horses and camels carrying guns attacked the villages of Marena and Tiero and surrounding settlements. Self-defense militias wielding spears were easily overwhelmed. Villages were burned, houses destroyed, and many shot seeking to escape. Clashes continued involving Sudanese and Chadian rebel forces, reportedly using heavy weapons. Thousands of villagers fled into the countryside. Latest estimates put the death toll at as many as 400, but it is impossible to arrive at a precise figure. Many bodies were hastily buried in shallow graves and were still being retrieved a week later. ¶4. (U) Over the next week survivors made their way to Koukou Angarana, a small town that already hosted almost 20,000 Chadian IDPs as well as over 19,000 Sudanese refugees at the nearby Goz Amir camp. By the time a group with Congressman McGovern and the Ambassador visited the site on April 7, 9,000 Chadians were there and flatbed trucks operated by ICRC were arriving filled with more. Many women and children were clustered around distribution stalls receiving soap, plastic buckets, and soap or gathered in shelters run by COOPI (an Italian NGO),Medecins Sans Frontieres, and other NGO's providing vaccinations and initial medical screenings. ¶5. (U) Asked to identify their attackers, the IDP's referred to them simply as janjaweed, a term loosely applied to militias largely (but not entirely) of Arab origin, whether Sudanese or Chadian. Some admitted that they knew some of the attackers from their villages. Asked why they were attacked, the IDP's were unanimous in asserting that the attackers wanted their land. No one could provide specific information on the identity of the rebel groups that reportedly joined in subsequent attacks, though Sudanese rebel forces (known as toro boro in Chad) and the Concorde Nationale Tchadienne (CNT),a Chadian rebel group under the Arab commander Al-Djinedi, are known to be active in the area. -------------- Amdjirema and For Baranga -------------- ¶6. (U) The Chadian army apparently stayed out of the fight until Monday, April 9 when its units engaged in a firefight with Chadian rebel forces with perhaps more than 200 vehicles near the village of Amdjirema. According to the Chadian government, not only were CNT forces involved, but also those under Timan Erdimi and Mahamat Nouri. The two sides issued conflicting statements blaming the other for initiating the combat and claiming to have come out on top. ¶7. (U) In the end, the Chadian units pursued the rebel forces, which reportedly included over 150 "technicals" and eight armored vehicles. Crossing into Sudanese territory, they inadvertently fell upon a Sudanese military position near the border town of For Baranga, perhaps there to support the retreating rebels. The Chadian forces pulled back but not before killing 17 Sudanese soldiers and wounding 40 others, according to a Sudanese statement. Chadian authorities expressed regret but justified the raid on the NDJAMENA 00000325 002 OF 002 grounds that the Chadian army was exercising the right of pursuit. In an attempt to prevent the tensions from heating up further, Libyan special envoy Abdel Salim Triki met with President Deby April 11 and claimed he secured Deby's support for improving relations with Sudan. Deby reportedly also agreed to visit Khartoum later this month. -------------- Stop the Violence -------------- ¶8. (SBU) It is impossible, at least on this side of the border, to ascertain the extent of any official Sudanese involvement in either instigating the raid on Marena and Tiero or arming the attackers. Nor is it possible to know with precision Khartoum's role in supporting the Chadian rebels in this incident. What is clear is that violence is spreading and people are suffering. The clash between Chadian and Sudanese soldiers adds a dangerous new variable into the equation. Conditions have the potential to deteriorate abruptly. ¶9. (SBU) The visit by the Deputy Secretary will provide the opportunity to address the issue. The Chadians must show restraint and stop supporting Sudanese armed rebels. They must agree to the rapid deployment of a UN force with a mandate to protect civilian populations and to deter the kind of attacks that took place March 31 from happening again. ¶10. (U) Tripoli Minimize Considered WALL