Eastern Chad

Last Update: Sep. 29, 2008

Since the beginning of the crisis in Darfur, civilians in eastern Chad have been suffering from multiple levels of violence both from within the country and from its neighbor to the east. Over 180,000 Chadians have been displaced since 2007 and over 250,000 refugees have crossed the border from Sudan to Chad, fleeing the genocidal campaign of the Sudanese government. Militias from Sudan attack civilians from the east, and Chadian militias and rebel groups target Sudanese civilians.

Civilians in this region are trapped between two ongoing, deadly conflicts. Widespread human rights violations have been committed by Chadian troops, Chadian rebel groups, Sudanese militias, and other armed groups. Civilians have been murdered, raped, and their livelihoods have been systematically destroyed.

Despite the presence of a European Union and UN peacekeepers, violence against civilians continue, with banditry and crime affecting large portions of the population. Rebel offensives aimed at toppling President Deby continue and the situation is complicated by increasing animosity between the governments of Chad and Sudan.

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.

The Chadian government has been moving the army to other parts of the country to fight insurgencies, allowing a security vacuum to emerge in eastern Chad. Remaining Chadian militias, newly forming Chadian rebel groups, and Sudanese militias have been taking advantage of the lack of civilian protection to committ mass atrocities. This violence has polarized rebel groups, intensified the already existing ethnic conflicts in the region, and also spurred new forms of local inter-group violence.

Civilians are subject to widespread human rights violations, often committed by raiding armed groups on camel and horseback, including:

• Summary executions
• Rape and other forms of sexual violence
• Severe injuries (from automatic weapons, poison arrows and spears)
• Systematic destruction of livelihoods
• Forced displacement and burning of villages
• Looting and banditry of food and livestock
• Forced recruitment of child soldiers

For more information, see "They Came Here to Kill Us: Militia Attacks and Ethnic Targeting of Civilians in Eastern Chad," a report published by Human Rights Watch.

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.