Eastern Chad

Last Update: May. 19, 2009

Throughout 2008, civilians along Chad's eastern border continued to fall victim to violence committed by the Chadian military, Chadian rebel groups, Sudanese militia and bandits.

These widespread atrocities against civilians led GI-NET to incorporate eastern Chad as an Area of Concern for 2008 and we will continue to monitor the situation in the beginning of 2009.

Since the beginning of the crisis in Darfur in 2003, civilians in eastern Chad have suffered from violence originating both from within the country and its eastern neighbor. Over 185,000 Chadians are internally displaced and more than 250,000 Darfuris have fled to Chad.

The situation in eastern Chad is a combination of anti-government rebellion, a proxy war between Chad and Sudan, massive displacement due to the Darfur conflict and the inability of the government to effectively provide security for its residents in the east.

This combination of factors have helped to create a state of insecurity in eastern Chad that has put civilians at risk of summary execution, forced displacement, rape and the systematic destruction of livelihoods through looting and the burning of villages. Security in the region noticibly deteriorated in 2008, evidenced by the 258% increased in attacks on humanitarians in the region and Chadian children continue to be recruited into militia groups in the region.

Additionally, civilians have suffered during rebel attacks against government positions in the east and in the capital, N'djamena.

There are five groups of actors who have committed atrocities against civilians in eastern Chad:

• The Chadian government. While fighting various Chadian insurgent groups, the government troops committed mass atrocities against civilians, particularly from non-Arab ethnic groups. The Chadian government also sponsors some Sudanese militias to oppose Chadian insurgents.
• Chadian insurgent groups. Insurgents have been clashing with government forces, looting and burning villages, inflicting large-scale harm on civilians. Some of these groups have reportedly received support from the Sudanese government.
• Sudanese militia. The militia recruited and trained in Sudan, have crossed the border to directly attack Chadian civilians and Darfurian refugees.
• Sudanese rebel groups. The presence of Sudanese rebel groups, particularly the Justice and Equality Movement, has militarized local communities and has created new sources of conflict. Some of these groups reportedly receive funding from the Chadian government. They have been known to cross the border to clash with Chadian insurgents and recruit Chadian civilians "to fight the Janjaweed".
• Unaffiliated armed groups. These groups are primarily formed along ethnic lines, these groups have been taking advantage of the chaotic situation to loot villages and livestock, and commit human rights violations against civilians of opposing ethnic groups.

Are the "Janjaweed" the same groups in Chad as they are in Darfur?

No. The term "Janjaweed" has a much more specific meaning for the conflict in Chad than it does in the conflict in Sudan. Specifically for the Darfur conflict, Janjaweed refers to criminals, bandits, or outlaws who have formed loosely organized militias and are generally known to be composed of Arabs. In the Chadian conflict, there are two specific ways in which militias are described as "Janjaweed": 1) armed groups recruited, trained and supplied by the government of Sudan, which are primarily composed of Sudanese and Chadian Arabs; 2) armed groups, not necessarily affiliated with any entity, that take advantage of the chaotic situation and loot villages and raid cattle and livestock. Often times, Chadian rebel groups are confused as "Janjaweed," which is misleading due to the common misconception that the "Janjaweed" are only loosely organized militias that have come from Sudan.

Stories from the conflict

"... She was tortured by a Zaghawa militia in 2003 and [was] left hanging from a tree, leaving her arms and legs criss-crossed with scars. One 17-year-old soldier from the 3rd Brigade said she joined the FUC along with six other girls from her village in late 2006 after members of a Zaghawa militia raped two girls from her village, including her 10-year-old cousin. 'Two men raped her and two men were holding her down and her hip came out,' she said. 'Afterward she didn't say anything to anyone except that the Zaghawa took her and that her leg was dislocated. ... She had to wait for a couple of months until she could walk, and then she joined the FUC. She didn't come for revenge, she came purely out of fear."

—"They Came Here to Kill Us: Militia Attacks and Ethnic Targeting of Civilians in Eastern Chad," Human Rights Watch, July 2007.