Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
N’Djamena (Agenzia Fides) - Worries increase in Chad due to the tensions being caused along the border with Sudan and for the arrival of more refugees from Darfour. Meanwhile, rebels who had sought to remove Chad President Idriss Deby from office have returned to their bases in eastern Chad. The republic of Chad accuses Khartoum of supporting the rebels, creating more tensions between the two countries. Sudan, whom Chad claims is supporting guerrillas in Darfour, has intensified bombing in the regions along Chad’s border, killing 150 people and provoking a mass exodus of almost 12,000 more refugees that have tried to enter Chad.
President Idris claims that Sudan uses the close to 240,000 refugees from Sudan in Chad as a means to place pressure on the government in N’Djamena. Therefore, the President has threatened to expel them if the international community does not intervene and send them back to Sudan. In eastern Chad, in addition to refugees from Sudan, there are refugees of Chad who have fled to escape local rebel violence.
A source from the local Catholic Church, in communication with Agenzia Fides, said that “in the region of Mongo, there are 12 refugee camps for refugees from Darfour. The Apostolic Nuncio in Chad has visited one, to personally observe the situation. There is a great deal of aid coming in from various international organisations, especially from one group in particular that functions with support from the local Catholic Church. This organisation works in 4 refugee camps, each one attending to close to 20,000 people. In the 12 camps in the Mongo area, there are over 200,000 refugees from Sudan, half of the number being helped by the Catholic Church. The Holy Father has made a presence both materially and above all, spiritually in his sharing in the sufferings of these people and sending aid through ‘Cor Unum.’”
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed his worries that the repeated episodes of vandalism among refugee camps that have already caused the deaths of some policemen on guard. To increase protection in the camps, a security force has been sent out from EUROFOR towards eastern Chad and in the Republic of Central Africa. The first battalion of Swiss soldiers arrived to the African country to prepare the subsequent arrival of 3, 700 military guards, the majority being French who have had a military representation in the country for over 20 years (“Epervier”).
The deployment of the EUROFOR was postponed due to an attack by rebels in N’Djamena. Fides sources say that at this time, however, “the rebels fear the intervention of the French, who come in response to an petition made by the Security Council to guarantee stability in Chad, and they do not seem prepared to confront such a force...”
“The crisis in Chad is related to that of Darfour/Sudan and the Republic of Central Africa. There are international interests in regards to the oil in Darfour, but in Chad and in the northern part of the Republic of Central Africa as well,” the Fides source concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/2/2008 righe 39, parole 509)
