Chad: Hundreds Killed By Sudanese Raiders

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April 13, 2007: The main obstacle to a peacekeeping force in Chad and western Sudan appears to be Libya, and its unstable dictator, Muammar Kadhafi. Libya has long been involved in Chadian politics, providing guns and money for pro-Libyan tribes. In the 1980s, Libya even sent troops into Chad, but these were quickly defeated by Chadian tribesmen. This is a humiliation that Kadhafi has never forgotten. But, mainly, Kadhafi simply doesn't want Western peacekeepers in his backyard. Too many Westerners speaking to too many of the locals will discover too many stories of Libyan meddling in the area. Libya can influence the leaders of Sudan and Chad by reminding them of Libyas ability to stir up trouble by supporting rebels. Libya has been doing this for decades, and it is no idle threat.

April 10, 2007: Chad apologized for fighting Sudanese army troops in Sudan, but insisted it was unintentional, as Chadian forces were pursuing tribal rebels, and the Sudanese army forces seemed to be working with the raiders.

April 6, 2007: Chadian forces, pursuing the Sudanese tribal raiders who had earlier torched villages in Chad, entered Sudan. A Chadian helicopter was used to help track the Sudanese raiders. There were several skirmishes between the Chadian and Sudanese forces. In some cases, Sudanese army troops came to the aid of the Sudanese tribal raiders returning from Chad.

April 2, 2007: Over the weekend, Sudanese raiders attacked several towns in Chad, killing and wounding nearly a thousand. It was later discovered that over three hundred had died. Nearly ten thousand survivors fled towards refugee camps. Such violent attacks have not been seen since last Fall, and the peace deal between Chad and Sudan was supposed to have ended this kind of violence. Survivors report that some of the raiders were Chadian, confirming rumors of Chadian tribes getting support from Sudan. In some cases, tribes have people on both sides of the border, and the tribe goes to war irrespective of nationality.

March 27, 2007: For the first time since January, Sudanese transports dropped bombs on a town in Chad. There were no dead, several wounded, and thousands of eye witnesses. Chad protested, says that this broke the ceasefire with Sudan.

March 26, 2007: There are now over 400,000 refugees (234,000 Sudanese, 48,000 Central Africans and some 120,000 Chadians) in Chads border areas. There is no one to protect them, and the camps are subject to increasing attacks by bandits, rebels from Chad and Darfur, as well as government supported forces from Chad and Sudan. Much of the violence springs from ancient tribal feuds, which are being exploited by the Sudanese and Chadian governments. The governments have given loyal tribes weapons, vehicles and a license to kill with impunity.

 

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