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United States Concerned About Increasing Violence in Chad

14 November 2006

"Spillover" from Sudan conflict underlines need for more peacekeepers

By David McKeeby
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The United States is watching closely recent attacks on civilians by ethnic Arab militias in Chad’s provinces bordering Sudan’s western region of Darfur, says State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

“We are concerned about the violence between various groups in Chad as well as in Darfur,” McCormack told journalists at a November 13 press briefing.

More than 200 Chadians have been killed since November 4 in a dramatic upsurge in ethnic violence.  United Nations officials have received reports that the jingaweit -- the Sudanese government-backed militia responsible for the violence that has killed more than 400,000 and displaced 2 million people in Darfur -- may be linked to the attacks.

“We are deeply alarmed at the brutality in eastern Chad, which is already struggling to cope with more than 218,000 Sudanese refugees from neighboring Darfur,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres in a November 9 statement.

The attacks appear to be “a spillover” from the ongoing Darfur crisis, agreed McCormack.  “You see similar kinds of conflicts, similar kinds of lines being drawn,” between ethnic Arab Muslim and local African communities, he said.

“At least 20 villages have been attacked, burned down or destroyed, “ Hélène Caux from the U.N. refugee agency, told Voice of America in a November 13 interview from Chad.  Thousands more have left the area in anticipation of future attacks, she added.

In response, Chad’s government declared a state of emergency November 13 in the regions of Ouaddai, Wadi Fira and Salamat.  As a precautionary measure, the government also extended the state of emergency to surrounding regions as well as Chad’s capital, N’Djamena.

The violence in Chad’s border region further underlines the need for a strengthened international peacekeeping force in Darfur, McCormack said; a goal the United States continues to pursue actively.  (See related article.)

“A big part of ensuring the stability not only in Darfur but in adjoining areas as well is to see that this international force gets into Sudan. And we are talking to friends and allies about that, talking to a number of Arab states about how to make that happen,” McCormack said.

A transcript of McCormack’s briefing is available on the State Department Web site.

For more information, see Africa and Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)