Chad’s opposition ANR says it has no relation with new rebel group
Oct 21, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — The Chadian opposition denied any link with a newly formed rebel group called SCUD and said this dissidence is a result of conflict among president Deby’s tribe members.
In a press release issued today in Khartoum, the opposition Alliance Nationale de la Résistance (ANR) said what happens in N’djamena is a “family problem” between the members of the ruling Zagawa ethnic group.
The “Alliance Nationale de la Résistance” (ANR), an umbrella of armed Chadian political forces, is headed by Mohamat Sileck and its military commander is Mohamat Nour.
Sources from the Chadian opposition said that all the members of the Chadian mutineer group are from the “Garde Présidentielle” presidential guard . It further said that Deby brother in law Doussa Deby might be behind the rebellion.
The military hierarchy in Chad is highly dominated by the Zagawa, the head of state’s ethnic community. Some members of the Chadian Zagawa ethnic community have blamed Idris Deby of not helping the Sudanese Zagawa people in Darfur, the region in conflict for over two years now.
According to the same source, Sudanese government is very sceptical vis-à-vis SCUD and it fears that the new Chadian rebel group joins the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) of Khalil Ibrahim.
The Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol Ajawin, said on Thursday 20 October that the government would treat the defected Chadian troops who entered the Sudanese territories as refugees.
Ndjamena government said the deserters were about 40 soldiers. While their chief Yahia Doli affirms they are several hundreds.
Eastern Chad – which abuts Sudan’s Darfur region – has been gripped with tension since the Darfur conflict broke more than two years ago. Hostilities have time and again spilled over into Chad, where nearly 300,000 Sudanese refugees are living in camps.
(ST)