September 27, 2007: The big problem with putting 3,000 peacekeepers in eastern Chad, is logistics. There are few roads and, more importantly, few airfields. These resources are already being used to near capacity by relief groups, who maintain camps for over half a million refugees from Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR). There is a solution to some of this, and that is air drops. The U.S. has GPS guided parachutes for supply pallets. These can precisely land the supplies anywhere. But this is even more expensive than just landing the transport and unloading. The high cost of peacekeeping in the middle of nowhere will eventually become an issue. The peacekeepers won't all arrive until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the government has signed a deal with a Chinese firm to build an oil refinery. The Chinese were generous with the bribes, something that the government has had trouble with in dealing with Western banks and suppliers. Getting a piece of this growing oil wealth is what a lot of the current rebel activity is all about. Before the oil money showed up, there were tribal feuds, which are still there. But the oil money is more of an incentive to fight than some ancient tribal dispute.

The government expects a net gain from having the 3,000, mainly French, peacekeepers on the Sudan border. Any dead rebels or bandits mean less threats to the existing government. The Chad army has been unable to shut down the tribal rebels, Sudanese raiders, freelance bandits and assorted bad guys from CAR.