VZCZCXRO5884
RR RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0061/01 0231627
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231627Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4816
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000061 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/C MASHRAF, DRL/AF SMURPHY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB PGOV PHUM PREF KDEM CD
SUBJECT: SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY (SHRD) 
REPORT: CHAD 2006-07 
 
REF: STATE 201978 
 
¶1.  Chad is a centralized republic with a population of 
approximately 10 million.  The Government of Chad,s human 
rights record remained poor in 2006.  President Idriss Deby 
has ruled the country since taking power in a 1990 rebellion. 
Political power remained concentrated in the hands of a 
northern oligarchy composed of the president's Zaghawa ethnic 
group and its allies.  The Government staged a flawed 
referendum that removed presidential term limits from Chad,s 
Constitution in June 2005. On May 3, 2006 President Deby was 
reelected to a third term in a seriously flawed election that 
was boycotted by the opposition.  The executive branch 
effectively dominated the legislature and judiciary, thereby 
eliminating potential challenges to a culture of impunity for 
the ruling minority. Civilian authorities did not maintain 
effective control of the security forces, elements of which 
frequently acted independently of government control. 
¶2.  Security forces committed extrajudicial killings; 
tortured, beat, and raped persons; practiced arbitrary arrest 
and detention; and continued to intimidate the public. The 
judiciary was subject to executive interference. Corruption 
was a serious problem. Violence and societal discrimination 
against women, including female genital mutilation (FGM), was 
common. Lack of respect for women,s rights and trafficking 
in persons (TIP), in particular of children, were serious 
concerns. The Government restricted freedom of the press by 
harassing and detaining journalists and, in the latter months 
of 2006, instituted formal censorship measures. Civilian 
authorities did not maintain effective control of the 
security forces, and there were frequent instances in which 
elements of the security forces acted independently of 
government authority. Security forces committed or sanctioned 
serious human rights abuses. Chad continued to host more than 
220,000 Sudanese refugees who fled the war and genocide in 
Darfur, 50,000 refugees from the Central African Republic and 
some 100,000 Chadians displaced by the inter-ethnic conflict. 
During the year, the security situation in the East grew 
increasingly tenuous due to spillover of the conflict in the 
Darfur region on the country,s border, and increased Chadian 
rebel activity against the Government that included a failed 
rebel assault on N,Djamena in April 2006 
¶3.  The U.S. strategy for promoting democracy and human 
rights in Chad focused on strengthening the institutions 
necessary for a stable and democratic Chad such as civil 
society and a free, fair and professional press. The United 
States focused on government institutions by promoting a more 
professional military, promoting transparency in governance, 
strengthening the National Assembly, engaging directly with 
key government officials, and improving interaction between 
the Government and human rights groups. Specifically, a 
budget-training workshop was held October 17-20, 2006 for 80 
Chadian parliamentarians, and computers and office equipment 
were provided to improve the Assembly,s ability to control 
and monitor the government,s budget operations. Efforts were 
also made to strengthen the credibility and capacity of civil 
society groups and governmental institutions in addressing 
human rights abuses, including involving them in visits of 
high-level U.S. government officials. The United States 
encourages human rights groups and other civil society 
organizations to become a resource for both the Government 
and Chadian people on human rights issues. 
¶4.  The United States also facilitated dialogue by creating 
opportunities for activists and government officials to 
interact in professional and social settings.  To strengthen 
press freedoms and the media,s ability to promote human 
rights and good governance, the United States provided 
equipment and training to print and broadcast journalists. 
Thirty private and public press organizations received 
material support including computers, generators, and 
motorbikes to enhance their ability to cover key events. 
Chadian journalists benefited from three training programs 
held in Chad, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The United States 
financed the creation of a private radio station in the far 
north, which has been broadcasting since February 2005, and 
promoted civil rights and civil liberties through a radio 
broadcast on human rights issues and civil liberties and 
civil rights education. This program was shared with other 
radio stations and translated into several local languages to 
help increase public awareness of basic human rights. In 
addition, the Embassy implemented a program to improve civic 
education teaching in schools by funding the printing of 
35,000 locally edited civic education textbooks. The 
Ambassador continued to regularly highlight press freedom and 
other human rights issues with government and civil society 
officials and during public ceremonies. The Ambassador,s 
Independence Day speech stressed the importance of free and 
fair elections as key to building viable democracy in Chad. 
¶5.  U.S. support for rule of law, good governance, and 
transparency included technical assistance to the Oil Revenue 
 
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Management College, the mechanism that reviews projects 
financed by oil revenues in an effort to promote 
accountability. The Embassy selected a leading human rights 
activist, the President of the Chadian Human Rights League 
for the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) on 
human rights and good governance. In addition, a prominent 
Chadian journalist participated in the Edward R. Murrow IVP 
on investigative journalism and ethics. 
¶6.  Human rights activists and some officials acknowledged 
that strengthening the weak judicial system was critical to 
addressing human rights violations in a systematic and 
meaningful way.  The Embassy also supported legal assistance 
for victims of human rights abuses through A local human 
rights NGO. 
¶7.  The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan deeply affected 
Chad. More than 220,000 refugees have sought safety in 
eastern Chad and some 100,000 Chadians have been displaced. 
The United States is the largest donor to the ongoing 
humanitarian efforts. The Embassy is an active participant in 
implementation of the Darfur Humanitarian Cease-fire 
Agreement, which includes regular meetings of a joint 
commission and contributed personnel to the Inter-Sudanese 
Peace Talks on Darfur. The Embassy remained a key 
interlocutor with the Government of Chad, the rebel 
movements, and the African Union on the Darfur peace process. 
The United States also facilitated the work of human rights 
organizations and NGOs working on protection issues for 
refugee women and children. 
¶8.  The United States continued to provide support for the 
rights of women and children. The Embassy supported the 
elimination of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation 
(FGM). Support to a local NGO resulted in the drafting and 
enactment of a law that criminalized FGM. In 2004, the 
Embassy funded an education program, completed in 2006, to 
publicize and distribute copies of the law. In addition, 
Embassy officers hosted a child protection network that 
brought together concerned government officials, police and 
NGOs on a range of issues affecting children. Congressional 
visitors also met with the key officials and NGOs on women,s 
issues. 
¶9.  The United States used direct contact with Chadian 
soldiers, including training and visits by U.S. officials, 
and the sharing of information on human rights violations 
with high-level government officials to emphasize the 
importance of working together on human rights. The annual 
U.S. publication of the Country Reports on Human Rights 
Practices was used as a basis for collaboration. To date, 
government officials have been candid and responsive. 
Visiting congressional and military delegations supported the 
U.S. human rights agenda. 
¶10.  The professionalization of Chad,s security forces was a 
key component of the U.S. strategy for improving the 
country,s human rights record. The United States funded 
International Military Education and Training and Counter 
Terrorism Fellowship programs at U.S. military facilities, 
where training on human rights is incorporated into the 
courses. The U.S. Special Forces trained 170 members of the 
Chadian military in 2006 and provided follow-up training to 
an additional 170 members initially trained in 2004.  In 
addition, 18 senior government personnel received crisis 
management training and 27 Chadian police officers and 
immigration officials received anti-terrorism training in the 
United States. 
¶11.  U.S. Muslim outreach continued with a program for 
bilingual education with a respected local organization that 
promotes cross-cultural understanding. Two members of the 
High Islamic Council attended an IVLP on Leadership in the 
Muslim Community. The Embassy actively supported the Arabic 
media, including three radio stations, six newspapers, and a 
nightly television news show. 
¶12.  The United States supported Chad,s efforts to combat 
TIP and child labor, bolstering the Government,s efforts to 
protect victims of trafficking and enhance law enforcement,s 
capacity to respond to trafficking cases. In 2006, the U.S. 
funded a UNICEF project to create a child protection network 
to carry out the rescue and rehabilitation of 1,500 child 
herders, 500 child domestics and 500 victims of commercial 
sexual exploitation, while also covering the production costs 
of a locally-made film that depicts the plight of child 
herders in Chad. 
WALL