African observers start deployment on Sudan-Chad border

April 9, 2006 (TRIPOLI) — The deployment of military monitors through the Sudan Chad border has started today. African observers departed from Tripoli, Libya, to monitor the common border from Chadian, Sudanese and Central African sides as provided under a peace agreement signed by leaders of the two countries in Tripoli,last February.

A soldier from the National Army of Chad patrols the wadi Tine, the empty bed of seasonal river that runs between Chad and Sudan in Tine, in 2004.

Chad-Sudan border monitoring team which is made up of members from Libya, Burkina Faso, Congo and Sudan left Tripoli International Airport this morning for the city of Al-Fashir in Sudan’s Darfur to carry out its mission of monitoring the Sudanese side of the border with Chad at points set along the Sudanese side of the border.

Another team of observers from the Libya and the Central African Republic left Tripoli International Airport for the city of Birao in Central African Republic to start its mission of monitoring the Sudan-Chad-Central African Republic border.

A third team of observers from the Libya, Burkina Faso, and Congo is also scheduled to leave tomorrow for the city of Abeché in Chad where Chadian monitors will join them. The team of monitors from these four countries will be in charge of monitoring the Chadian side of the border with Sudan along set monitoring points.

The dispatch of these teams comes in implementation of the decision of the ministerial committee set up under the Tripoli Declaration issued by the African mini summit which was held on 8 February 2006 in Libya to contain the tension between Sudan and Chad.

The ministerial committee set up teams to monitor the Sudan-Chad border and identified arrangements to implement the mechanism agreed by the directors of external security services of Libya, Congo, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic in their Tripoli meeting held on 28 February 2006.

Under the Tripoli agreement signed on 8 February, the leaders of Sudan and Chad agreed to normalize diplomatic relations and to immediately commit themselves to work to prevent the presence of rebel groups on each other territory. The deal, however, has yet to resolve the chaos on the ground.

Since, Chad accused Sudan more than four times of backing rebels fighting government in N’Djamena.

On Sunday 9 April Chad accused Sudan of orchestrating a rebel attack from Central African Republic.

“Fighting is ongoing around the area but the Chadian armed forces are about to push the attackers back … This attack was orchestrated by the Sudanese government, which has for several days … been delivering arms and munitions to various small groups of Chadians aiming to destabilise the country”, Communication Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor said.

(ST)