VZCZCXRO5002
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0933 3400640
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 060640Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5939
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 3017
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 1632
RHMFIUU/USEUCOM

C O N F I D E N T I A L NDJAMENA 000933 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2012 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF SD CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: FIGHTING CONTINUES BETWEEN ANT AND RFC 
 
REF: NDJAMENA 920 
 
Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Lucy Tamlyn for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary.  Fighting continues in the Biltine area 
between the Chadian army (ANT) and the RFC rebel group.  Cut 
off from supply lines in the Sudan, the RFC may not be able 
to survive a siege. On the other hand, coordinated action 
between the RFC and the UFDD could pull the ANT away and 
prolong the battle.  Given the tenuous security situation, it 
is surprising that President Deby has apparently decided to 
attend the Lisbon EU/Africa Summit.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) The fighting in eastern Chad has not abated.  On 
December 3 and 4 President Deby's forces battled the RFC led 
by Timan Erdimi, a fellow member of the Zaghawa inner circle, 
and  former Director of the President's Civil Cabinet. The 
fighting is taking place in and around the Massif de Kapka - 
a mountainous region north-east of Biltine. While casualties 
do not appear to be as high as those incurred in the battles 
against the UFDD in late November, the battle is primarily 
Zaghawa on Zaghawa.  Two weeks after the battles started, 
over twenty members of the US-trained Pan-Sahel Initiative 
(PSI) unit are dead.  One PSI battalion has been in the east 
since the onset of the fighting; the other PSI battalion 
remains in N'Djamena. President Deby is still at the front 
but his Minister of Plan informed the World Bank 
Representative in N'Djamena that the President intended to 
participate in the December 8-9 EU/Africa summit in Lisbon. 
(Comment: this travel has not been officially divulged by the 
government.  End comment). 
 
¶3. (SBU) Former Defense Minister Mahamat Nour is still 
residing in the Libyan Embassy.  It is believed that many of 
Nour's FUC rebel group will head towards the front as a 
consequence of Nour's change of situation, but large scale 
defections or theft of vehicles has not been witnessed (at 
least in N'Djamena).  UFDD Rebel leader Mahamat Nouri has 
called for an inclusive dialogue to include President Deby, 
the political opposition and the armed opposition.  The 
opposition coalition CPDC has made the same call.  President 
Deby's Infrastructure Minister (and primary negotiator with 
rebel groups), Adam Younousmi rejected the call for dialogue, 
saying that all the agreements needed had already been signed. 
 
Comment: 
 
¶4.  (C)  Erdimi's RFC, cut off from supply lines in the 
Sudan, may not be able to survive an ANT siege in the Kapka 
mountains.  On the other hand, coordinated action between the 
RFC and the UFDD could pull the ANT away and prolong the 
battle.  It is not clear whether these groups will be able to 
go back to Sudan for a breather; the International Red Cross 
Representative (please protect) told CDA that the rebel 
groups had indeed been told to move out of Darfur by the 
Sudanese government. 
 
¶5. (C)  The round of fighting which started on November 26 is 
proving to be the fiercest and longest bout seen in recent 
years.  It is also straining the Zaghawa clan social fabric. 
The President canceled his recent trip to the United States 
ostensibly because of the break out in fighting.  If 
confirmed, his decision to travel to Lisbon could be a risky 
one given the security situation still prevailing. 
 
¶6.  (U) Tripoli minimize considered. 
TAMLYN