VZCZCXRO5795
RR RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #1028/01 2211647
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091647Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4192
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1241
RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA 0170
RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 0724
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0300
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1512
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 2779
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1921
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0285
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 1310
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0862
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0801

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 001028 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/C, AF/SPG, D, DRL, DS/IP/ITA, 
DS/IP/AF, H, INR, INR/GGI, PRM, USAID/OTI AND USAID/W FOR 
DARFURRMT; LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICAWATCHERS; GENEVA FOR 
CAMPBELL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF ASEC CD SU
SUBJECT: CHAD: BORDER SITREP 
 
 
NDJAMENA 00001028  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  While the onset of the rainy season has 
greatly reduced vehicule movements, Chadian military forces 
appear to be beefing up their presence along the eastern 
border.  On the other side of the border, Chadian rebels are 
reported to be reorganizing their leadership structure. 
Ethnic tensions in the town of Guereda have caused some 
humanitarian organizations in the area to raise concerns of a 
possible violent conflict between ethnic groups in the local 
communities and refugee camps.  Even though NGO groups in 
other camps have noted greater cooperation on security 
matters with local authorities, they highlight the continued 
lack of a strong gendarme presence to protect the refugee 
camps.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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SECURITY ON THE EASTERN BORDER 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶2.  (SBU) For the moment, the situation along the Chad-Sudan 
border remains calm, but along the Chadian side, there are 
indications of re-grouping of Chadian military elements. 
UNHCR has recently reported that Chadian troops are arriving 
periodically in the eastern town of Abeche in large numbers, 
and are immediately seen being deployed to the eastern front. 
 Field Security officers affiliated with the United Nations 
High Commission for Refugees and other Embassy contacts have 
also noted the increased troop and military vehicle presence 
in the border towns of Tine, Adre, and Tissi.  According to 
Embassy contacts, President Deby has established a stronger 
information-gathering network to keep tabs on the rebel 
movement. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Embassy contacts with links to the rebel movement 
have stated that opposition groups continue to try to 
re-organize their units to launch another attack, despite the 
onset of the rainy season.  According to these contacts, 
members of the United Force for Change (FUC) movement are 
losing confidence in Chadian rebel leader Mahamat Nour.  A 
contact told Economic/Consular officer on August 3 that 
former Chadian Minister of Defense Mahamat Nouri was recently 
asked by members of the FUC to be its new leader, on the 
grounds that Nouri will be able to lead a more coordinated 
rebel effort against the Deby regime. 
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - 
TENSE SITUATION IN GUEREDA 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Humanitarian organizations continue to be extremely 
concerned with the level of tensions in the town of Guereda 
(sites of the Mile and Kounougou refugee camps) between the 
members of the local community, who are mostly of Tama 
origin, and members of the refugee community, who are of 
Zaghawa and Goran origin.  International Medical Corps 
Director Fredrick Royce told RSO and Economic/Consular 
officer on July 31 that a recent dispute between family 
members of Tama and Zaghawa ethnic groups sparked retribution 
killings that resulted in the deaths of over 20 Tama 
villagers and an unknown number of Zaghawas. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The situation is complicated by the departure of 
the areas' local prefect, and the lack of an authoritative 
government presence in the region.  UNHCR recently noted that 
Tama villagers have been reported to be fleeing Sudan, in 
fear of a planned attack by the Zaghawa and Goran groups 
targeting the Tama population.  UNHCR and other humanitarian 
organizations have speculated that Chadian authorities may be 
actively allowing this violence to continue by not sending 
gendarme elements to deter further violence.  During a 
meeting with Ambassador Wall in late-July, Haroun 
Tchong-Tchong, representative for Guereda in the Chadian 
National Assembly, said that while ethnic altercations have 
 
NDJAMENA 00001028  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
taken place in the past in Guereda, the current level of 
violence was disturbing, and was difficult to stop with the 
limited number of gendarmes in the area. 
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
OVERALL REFUGEE CAMP SECURITY 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Elsewhere, UNHCR and its partner organizations have 
indicated that Chadian authorities are becoming more 
receptive to their calls for greater gendarme security. 
International Rescue Committee Country Director Julie Dargis 
told Ambassador Wall on July 26 that following a 
hostage-taking of an IRC staff member by local youth in the 
Oure Cassoni camp in Bahai, Chadian authorities implemented a 
number of measures to improve camp security, including 
removing Bahai's Secretary General who was implicated in 
instigating the youth in the July 26 incident, and educating 
the local population on the humanitarian organization's 
activities in the area. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) UNHCR country representative Serge Malle told DCM 
on August 3 that Minister of Territorial Administration 
Mahamat Ali Abdullah had expressed to Malle a direct concern 
for improving refugee camp protection, and was prepared to 
participate in a meeting with other humanitarian 
organizations operating in eastern Chad to discuss their 
security concerns.  However, according to Malle, the Minister 
admitted that resource constraints negatively impacted the 
GOC's ability to protect humanitarian workers in the refugee 
camps.  Malle pointed out that continued car-jackings of 
humanitarian vehicles (totalling 34 following the theft of an 
NGO vehicle in Guereda in early July) demonstrated that 
Chadian authorities lacked the capacity to protect 
humanitarian organization assets in Eastern Chad.  If this 
trend continued, Malle argued that the international 
community needed to take more effective action to ensure that 
humanitarian assistance efforts were not impeded by security 
constraints. 
 
- - - - 
COMMENT 
- - - - 
 
¶8.  (SBU) While GOC authorities are taking some concrete 
measures to improve the security situation in refugee camps, 
incidents in Guereda and concerns elsewhere continue to 
demonstrate the GOC lacks the means and, at least in the case 
of Guereda, the will to actively protect humanitarian 
activities. 
 
¶9.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WALL