Chad's President Faces Opposition, Wants Darfur Refugees Gone

by Rob Walker | February 11, 2008 at 08:07 am

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A dusk to dawn curfew is in effect in N'Djamena and six other provinces after reports of rebels regrouping. The Chad government has been fighting back rebels who got as close as the city gates last week after a failed coup. Ironically, this is the same manner that current president-for-life Idriss Deby came to power in 1990. Adding to the tensions are thousands of refugees fleeing from Darfur, which is causing violence all along the border and claims of Darfur helping back the rebels.

See previous NowPublic coverage here.

Chad's government imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on N'Djamena and six southern and eastern provinces, prompted by reports about rebels regrouping.
Following the repulse of the assault on N'Djamena by an alliance of Chadian rebel groups, a measure of calm has returned to the capital. However, whether or not the eastern rebels regroup effectively, the underlying causes of the instability in Chad are far from resolved.

Chad's prime minister demanded Monday that the international community remove refugees who have fled to Chad from Sudan's Darfur region, warning that Chadian authorities would otherwise do it themselves.
Prime Minister Nouradin Koumakoye charged that Sudan's government has fomented violence in Chad — including backing a failed coup attempt last week — because of the refugees' presence. Sudan has denied that it backs Chadian rebels.

The EU is hoping to resume deployment of its peacekeeping mission to Chad in the next few days, after a delay caused by fighting in the capital, N'Djamena.
An EU spokesman said the force was seeking clearance for an initial flight of logistics material on Tuesday.
The force's commander in Chad told the BBC the rebel offensive had put the deployment back four weeks.