The United Nations and United States Condemn Recent Violence in Chad

February 4, 2008- There has been an outbreak of fighting in Chad, a central African country that is sandwiched between Niger and Sudan. The situation has turned critical as people flee the capital city of N'Djamena, while the government and rebel forces battle for control. According to BBC, the rebel forces consist of three main groups (The United Force for Democracy and Development, Rally of Forces for Change, and UFDD-Fondamentale). The conflict between the government and rebel forces has ethnic and political roots. The BBC has reported that the rebels believe that the current president of Chad, Iriss Deby, is corrupt and favors the minority ethnic group, the Zagwa Clan.

President Deby decided recently to extend his presidency to an unconstitutional third term. According to BBC, this decision accompanied with previous accusations of misappropriating oil profits and appointing people within the minority Zagwa Clan to government positions caused the recent conflict.

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, is concerned about the fighting in Chad. The United Nations does not approve of the military forces attempting to seize power over the government. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also “deplores any action that could worsen the already grave humanitarian situation especially in eastern Chad, where the international community is actively engaged in activities to provide relief and secure the voluntary, safe and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons in eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic.”

The United States Department of State, also released a statement two days ago condemning the violence in Chad. The State Department would like “calm in the capital and supports the AU’s [African Union] call for an immediate end to armed attacks and to refrain from violence that might harm innocent civilians.”

Chad borders the already critical area of Darfur, Sudan where a humanitarian crisis has been occurring for the past several years. If the fighting continues, Darfur may be affected if Chadian violence and refugees spill into Sudan.


Source:
BBC News. 2008. Q&A Chad Rebellion. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7225023.stm.
(accessed February 4, 2008).