by DAVID AXE
Officials from Chad and Sudan are weighing a proposed treaty that would create a framework for joint patrols of their shared border, along and around Sudan’s Darfur province. If fully implemented, the security pact proposed in late-December could help lay the groundwork for peace talks with rebel groups, aimed at reducing cross-border violence that has claimed thousands of lives in Chad and Sudan since 2005.
Central Africa’s arid deserts and lush forests are the scene of complex, overlapping conflicts over land, resources, ethnicity, religion and political power. Chad accuses Sudan of sponsoring rebel groups, based in Sudan, that threaten farmers and refugees in Chad. At the peak of their power in early 2008, columns of Chadian rebel fighters even managed to penetrate defenses around Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. Sudan denies sponsoring the groups.
In turn, Sudan accuses Chad of supporting rebel groups in Sudan — a charge Chad also denies. Darfur, with its warring ethnic factions, represents the center of gravity for much of this tension: Ethnic African fighters opposed to Khartoum’s Arab-dominated regime secretly operate out of U.N. refugee camps for displaced Darfuris in eastern Chad.
At the same time, an exploding population has taxed the region’s scarce supplies of water, wood and arable land. Huge displaced populations — tens of thousands strong in some towns — clash with native farmers and herders in raids that sometimes claim dozens of lives. In communities increasingly dominated by refugees, the U.N. struggles to balance the needs of the displaced with the rights of longtime residents, while also trying to prevent U.N-administered camps from becoming de facto bases for rebels.
Read the rest at World Politics Review.
(Photo: David Axe)
Related:
Chad Bombs Rebels as Peacekeepers Deploy
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- Chad and Sudan Sign Peace Deal
- World Politics Review: Peacekeeping General’s Dangerous Darfur Pronouncement
- World Politics Review: Aid Groups Must Be Wary of Exploitation
- World Politics Review: Disputes Threaten Chad-Sudan Peace Deal
- All Quiet on the Darfur Front
Even if Chad and Sudan improve relations and effectively control their borders against rebels, the issue in Chad is internal, and should not be reduced to a neighbouring feud. Chad requires a national inclusive dialogue that involves the Government, opposition parties, armed opposition groups, civil society and even the diaspora. The EU -France- has been one of the main sponsors to the August 13th electoral reform agreement, yet their support to opposition groups has been far from sufficient, cutting short any chance for genuine national inclusive dialogue.
A little side note, Mr. Victor Angelo is not a MINURCAT spokesman. He is the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General.
[...] after months of deliberation, Chad and Sudan have signed a peace deal. Our Chad correspondent, Mahamat Tahir Issa, says the [...]
[...] Darfur — has been a seething conflict zone for seven years. This year, the two countries agreed to jointly patrol the border to tamp down on allegedly government-backed rebel groups that threaten both governments. [...]
War between these Horn of Africa countries need to stop. It is good initiating President Deby has taking to turn a new page for peace to reign.
http://www.paul-excellentwriting.blogspot.com
War between these Horn of Africa countries need to stop. It is good initiative that President Deby has taken to turn a new page for peace to reign. it is nice seeing Bashir buying into this new peace accord
http://www.paul-excellentwriting.blogspot.com