Chadian opponent arrested for supporting tribesmen fighting in Sudan
June 11, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Security authorities in N’Djamena, on Sunday, arrested an opposition member who voiced support for Chadian Arab tribesmen fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.
The arrest followed a video posted on June 7 by Hissein Alamine Tchaw-tchaw, a Chadian dissident and leader of the rebel Movement for the Fight of the Oppressed in Chad (MFOC), showing his participation in the attack on the Yarmouk munitions factory in Khartoum.
The video generated controversy in both Sudan and Chad, as the MFOC is an armed group aiming to overthrow the government of President Mohamed Idriss Deby.
Commenting on the controversy, Chad’s former ambassador to Egypt, Allamine Adoudou, a declared government opponent, stated that Tchaw-tchaw’s participation was expected and influenced by his blood ties with RSF commanders.
He further emphasized that the current political border between the two countries is artificial, imposed by colonizers, and fails to consider the significant ethnic and tribal overlap.
“There is a large number of Sudanese known as ToraBora, estimated at 15,000, who are now part of the Chadian army; they know, and we know they are of Sudanese origin,” Adoudou added in an audio recording obtained by Sudan Tribune, referring to the Zaghawa ethic of President Deby.
Several news sites in Chad, including Alwihdainfo and Lendjampost, reported that the Internal Security Service arrested Adoudou at about 05.00 pm local time after releasing an audio recording in WhatsApp groups defending taking side with Tchaw-tchaw.
The former ambassador, a professor at the University of N’Djamena, was arrested several times, most recently after participating in demonstrations denouncing the French presence in Chad.
Sudanese army commanders accused the RSF of recruiting mercenaries from Chad, Mali and Niger Arab tribes. On June 9, Lt Gen Shams al-Din Kabbashi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said that the Sudanese army is fighting foreign mercenaries.
(ST)