Chad: Looking Inward

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July 25, 2006: The government has made nice to Sudan, and backed away from any offensive operations. An official end of the state of war between Chad and Sudan is being negotiated. In practical terms, the armed forces are not mobile, or loyal, enough to fight a war with Sudan. The big threat is civil war, with president Deby's coalition of tribes and factions in disarray. The government is leaving it to the UN and the rest of the world to do something about the Sudanese raiders who are attacking refugee camps in Chad and Darfur.
July 22, 2006: The government has arrested two ministers and charged them with stealing half a million dollars from a fund established to help livestock herders. Livestock is a major industry for Chad, and much of the internal violence is caused by tribes fighting over grazing land and access to water.
July 21, 2006: The government has backed down, and agreed to abide by the deal it made with the World Bank (in order to get the loans to develop its oil industry), to devote a percentage of the oil profits to helping Chad's people, and allowing the World Bank to supervise this.