CHAD SCENESETTER FOR CODEL JACKSON LEE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000689 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/C AND H - PLEASE PASS TO CODEL JACKSON LEE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OREP PREL PGOV PHUM PTER CD SUBJECT: CHAD SCENESETTER FOR CODEL JACKSON LEE REF: SECSTATE 118298 ¶1. (U) U.S. Embassy N'Djamena warmly welcomes CODEL Jackson Lee to Chad August 26-27, 2007. Chad is a landlocked, impoverished nation situated in the geographical "heart" of Africa. Violent regime change has been the rule since independence in 1960. Chad's estimated 9.4 million people are primarily farmers or herders; new oil revenues have yet to trickle down to the village level, and infant mortality and illiteracy rates are among the world's highest. Chad has a longstanding tradition of practicing a moderate and tolerant Islam and Chadians tend to be pro-American. ¶2. (U) United States interests in Chad have evolved considerably over the last seven years. Highlights of the new relationship include large scale U.S. humanitarian support for the Darfur refugees in Chad, U.S./Chad cooperation on counter-terrorism effrts and the presence of a large U.S.-led oil conortium. ¶3. (SBU) Chroni regime instability affects all of those interests. So far, President Deby has successfully warded off challenges to his 16-year regime by arms and negotiation, but encouraging a peaceful political transition in Chad and supporting democratic institutions are significant challenges for our diplomatic efforts. A more stable Chad would be a better partner in addressing regional instability, including the Darfur conflict, the chronically unstable Central Africa Republic and terrorist threats from extremist ideologies. The Political Setting -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Chad's human rights record remains poor and government institutions lack the capacity and the will to bring justice to average Chadians. President Idriss Deby Itno oversaw a return to democracy after seizing power by force in 1990, but subsequent presidential and legislative elections were flawed and the Constitution was revised in 2005 to abolish Presidential term limits. The President was re-elected for a third five-year term in May 2006 in an election boycotted by the opposition. In 2005 Chad tied with Bangladesh as the world's most corrupt country according to the corruption watchdog organization, "Transparency International." Civil society remains fragmented and too weak to pose a counterbalance to government power. ¶5. (SBU) Despite challenges to his 16-year regime from external attacks and internal political dissent, President Deby - assisted by a windfall in oil income -- has been on a winning streak. He trounced rebels (with the help of French forces) who attacked N'Djamena in 2006. On August 13, after eight months of negotiations, an agreement was reached between opposition political parties and the ruling party on electoral reform. But even as Deby signs peace agreements with former rebel leaders and hopefully sets the stage for credible legislative and presidential elections, new challengers bent on toppling the regime may emerge, eager for a share of Chad's new-found oil bounty. Although President Deby has presided over Chad's most peaceful era since independence, his legacy will be undermined if he is unable to successfully open the political arena, and demonstrate that a peaceful transfer of political power is possible in Chad CHAD AND DARFUR -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Chad is deeply implicated in the Darfur conflict, not only because Darfurians claim ethnic loyalties with groups in eastern Chad, but because Chad and Sudan's uneasy relationship has manifested itself in support for rebel groups bent on destabilizing the other. Chad's eastern region currently hosts 12 refugee camps containing over 200,000 Sudanese victims of the Darfur conflict. The same region hosts over 170,000 Chadian Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The United States is the major donor through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and partner NGO's in efforts to assist the refugees and IDPs. This environmentally fragile region has been gravely impacted by NDJAMENA 00000689 002 OF 003 the presence of refugees competing for water and firewood with the local inhabitants. In 2006 and 2007, as Chadian rebels made bolder inroads into Chad, and violent clashes with the Chadian army become more frequent, eastern Chad became a zone of peril for the UN and its partner NGOs. The security vacuum led to opportunistic attacks on border towns by armed militias (Chadian or Sudanese janjaweed) and Chadian displacement surged as villagers fled their homes. ¶7. (U) The United States has welcomed President Deby's recent consent to the stationing of UN gendarmes and EU/French military forces in eastern Chad to protect humanitarian workers, Darfur refugees and Chadian displaced persons. Discussions are currently underway in Brussels and New York to determine the modalities of such a force; deployment is anticipated as early as mid-October 2007. OIL AND DEVELOPMENT -------------- ¶8. (U) Chad's oil boom -- expected to last less than a decade -- will severely test its absorptive capacity and ability to manage and spend the resources so as to promote sustainable economic growth and improve the Chadian standard of living (currently ranked among the lowest in the world.) Chad's first oil began pumping in 2003 and flowing down the 1070-kilometer pipeline to the Cameroonian coast. The largest single U.S. private investment in Africa, the $6 billion project is managed by a consortium led by ExxonMobil. In 2007 alone, Chad will earn over USD 1 billion in combined profit taxes and royalties from the consortium. ¶9. (U) As part of the financing package arranged by the World Bank and other lenders, Chad agreed to an innovative arrangement for managing its oil revenues whereby the bulk of royalties would be earmarked for social sectors such as health and education. However, this pathbreaking experiment in transparency foundered in 2005 when the President, strapped for cash for security spending, changed the law governing use of oil revenues (provoking a rupture with the World Bank which took over five months to resolve.) A new agreement recommits the Government to funding social sectors, but allows greater spending on security. FIGHTING TERRORISM -------------- ¶10. (U) In March 2004, the Chadian army engaged in an intense battle with members of the Algerian terrorist group GSPC, demonstrating the extent to which Chad's vast and porous borders leave it open to infiltration by terrorist elements. The cooperation of Chad,s security services and army on counterterrorism issues has been excellent, and President Deby welcomes additional U.S. counterterrorism assistance provided under the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP). Over the last three years, U.S. forces have trained and equipped two Chadian units and these troops have learned to respond to internal threats from terrorism and banditry. Chad participates in U.S. military training programs, including the Flintlock exercise. ¶11. (SBU) Post also works to counter terrorist threats by implementing a program of Muslim outreach and providing development assistance to counter the conditions which can foster extremism. For the most part, Chadian Muslims are moderate and Muslim leadership in Chad is supportive of U.S. programs throughout the country. Muslim leaders also work closely with the government to rein in radical Islamic elements. THE U.S. PRESENCE IN CHAD -------------- ¶12. (SBU) The United States Embassy in Chad has approximately 30 direct hire-Americans. The American community in Chad - never large - was reduced significantly following the drawdown of personnel from the UN, international NGO's and the oil consortium after the April 2006 attacks on N'djamena by Chadian rebels. The United States closed its USAID Mission in Chad over ten years ago. A modest amount of U.S. NDJAMENA 00000689 003 OF 003 assistance is managed directly by the Embassy and supports grass-roots efforts to improve education, provide access to water, and promote human rights. As a result of unrest, the Peace Corps program has been closed and suspended indefinitely. Americans are not targets in the struggle between President Deby and rebel contenders, but the danger of widespread civil disorder is very real. ¶13. Minimized Considered. TAMLYN