An alliance of Chadian rebel groups has launched a fresh offensive to overthrow the government of Chadian president Idriss Deby. The rebels requested mediation by France and the EU as a precursor to avert war, but their request was not accepted. Beginning from positions in Eastern Chad near the border with Sudan, they have advanced westwards towards the Chadian capital, N’djamena. On Saturday June 14, the rebels attacked and took control of the town of Goz-Beida. They withdrew later in the day, but promised further confrontation on Sunday. An EUFOR force deployed in Goz-Beida, comprising 500 Irish and 70 Dutch troops, has been protecting civilians and aid workers in the area. Camps surrounding Goz-Beida house 15,000 refugees and 36,000 internally displaced Chadians. The i-ACT team was about to travel to Goz-Beida from Abeche, when travel restrictions put in place meant the journey had to be cancelled. They are currently waiting at a safe location in Abeche as the situation unfolds.

To see the location of Goz-Beida, Abeche and N’djamena on a map, click here (scroll west to see N’djamena).

News reports about the situation:

Chad rebels say on offensive and seek French mediation (Thursday June 12)

EU troops increase patrols in Chad security alert (Friday June 13)

Chad rebels say they are advancing, threaten French forces (Friday June 13)

Chad rebels attack town, EU troops come under fire (Saturday June 14)

Last time we were in Camp Kounoungo, Adam thanked the American people for taking action, but encouraged us to do more. “We need action,” he said. As we always say at SGN, our leaders will not do the right thing, because its the right thing to do. We need to tell them what is important to us. Take State-wide action by dialing 1-800 GENOCIDE and pressure your Senators and Representatives. We also need to continue reaching out and educating people locally: join the Tents of Hope campaign, now in 9 countries! Take long term action to prevent future genocide by becoming a GI Net Rapid Response Member.

Remember this weekend to bring the faces and stories of our friends to your place of worship. Say a prayer for Darfur, and make a commitment to actively end the violence.

t’s getting late, and my computer is running low on battery, so I’ll keep this entry short. It’s been a really long day, and the heat has gotten to me a bit, but you’ve heard all the details from everyone else. Although the day started off well with a Celtics victory, it finished out pretty rough.

It is disappointing that we haven’t seen any refugees yet, but the interviews with UNHCR officials and local Chadians have been informing. I also am grateful that, despite the instability throughout the region, we are all safe here. All is peaceful from our small resting facilities in the UNHCR gym; it doesn’t seem like any unrest is occurring throughout the rest of the country. I hope that it stays that way; both for our sake and for the many innocent Chadians throughout the region.

Please keep posted both through the news and the site. I am sure everything will turn out alright, but we appreciate all of your good thoughts as we wait for further moves on our end.

Colin

14 June 2008, 12:05am Saturday
Abeche

When I first started getting involved in the Darfur movement, the almost complete focus for everyone that cared was Darfur itself. The experts did talk about threats to the region, if Darfur was left to burn. As months and years went by, the talks turned to the need to think of Sudan as a whole and find a comprehensive approach to the country’s problems, including Darfur. Now, we must focus on the larger region, including Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan…and Darfur.

I know that this should have been the focus from the beginning, but we tend to want to keep it simple, since it’s so difficult to create attention for even the more focused and manageable to the mind Darfur.

Every trip to Chad has included being close, in time or in distance, to fighting. Hearing bullets being shot in to the night air became fairly normal. Being told and warned of bandits robbing cars was expected. Rebel activity was just part of Chadian reality, I felt. But, the big fighting and horrors were still in Darfur.

Being caught in N’Djamena during the coup did not feel normal, and we did not expect it. This time, we came even more aware of the realities of Chad, but it’s not exactly every-day stuff to me hearing of heavy rebel and Chadian military movement and a possible repeat of all-out fighting in the capital.

We are safe, and safer than in February, when we were stuck just next door to the bulls-eye of the attack, the presidential palace. Our friends in Abeche have treated us more than wonderfuly. Suzanne found us this great room in the fitness center, and we have the luxury of mattresses on the floor, a desk to set up my computer, and our trusted Bgan—our connection to a satellite high in the sky, where we bounce our video and journals on to get them down to you.

Our team here is feeling good, given the circumstance. Colin is a bit under the weather, but staying positive and laughing with us. Scott is great, also maintaining his sense of humor, as he writes his journals and answer comments. Katie-Jay is on doing all of her work and also staying positive and funny. We’re a good team.

It is night out here. Usually in Chad, from the little I know, if there is any fighting, it slows down after the sun sets. I am hoping that Chadians wake up to peaceful day. The team is very disappointed at not having made it to the camps yet, but we are more concerned for the people in the camps and what another round of war does to them. I think of the children in the camps, and I wonder how their parents manage to keep them healthy in mind and body with all of this chaos around them.

I also think about my children, Gabo and Mimi, and don’t want them to worry again. I’m not saying this because of that, but we really are doing OK here and feel safe. We will continue working, sending up video and journals and responding to your comments. We will wait and see what the sun brings and make the best decision based on the best information.

Please tell people around you to take a few minutes and do some of the actions we have suggested or any other action they can do that will help bring positive change to this region of the world.

What happens to boys that, in some way, get used to war when they grow up and become men? I know that they cannot get used to it, but it can be all that they know, if it’s always around them. Please help us make peace a habit.

Paz,
g

It’s been an eventful, uneventful day. Waking up after a rough night’s sleep, accentuated by the very vivid dreams produced by my weekly malaria medication, I had high hopes that we would soon be finally seeing refugees. Despite hearing the bad news that the Boston Celtics had taken a three to one lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals (bad news to everyone except to Colin), I remained optimistic. We were going to have a good day. Hell, we had to catch a break or two. Plus, it was my mom’s birthday (I think she turned 35, maybe a year or two younger). So all was going to work out well.

As you probably know by now, the day did not unfold in the ideal manner. Our plane didn’t leave, and despite the fact that we quickly made alternate plans to visit the Farcihana camp tomorrow, rebel movement in the East looks to have further complicated our trip. While we talked about sugar-coating the news, we decided to give it all out; I’m writing this from the gym of the Abeche UNHCR, where we’ll be spending the night. We have better accommodations than most people; I actually just used some of the gym facilities and took a quick bucket-shower, and feel great. We don’t know what next steps will be. But I feel safe.

It’s a weird feeling right now. We’re hearing reports of rebel activity throughout the East, but here, it’s mostly peaceful. There’s no sounds in the air, we’re all relaxing.

I talked to several Chadians throughout the day in my high-school level French; while all expressed concern that the rebels would be coming, none seem too worried. It’s a little sad that this insecurity has become such a part of their lives that they seem largely oblivious to any further activity. It’s just part of life at this point. It’s interesting, because as Americans, we frequently hear about the politics of fear, and how it can be used to exploit us. There is no politics of fear in Chad; the people are used to it. UNHCR representatives even refer to the rebels as “visitors.”

Obviously, I’m pretty disappointed that we didn’t see refugees today, and there’s a pretty distinct possibility it won’t happen this trip. The fact is, however, it’s out of our control. We knew we’d have to take chances in coming to an unstable region like Chad. And while I’m hoping against all hope that something finally breaks our way, I know I’ll be back. This cause means too much for me to leave it behind.

At the same time, however, I do feel safe. We’re in the UNHCR gym, close to the airport. I don’t think it’s a question of whether we’ll be safe; we will be. We’re being taken care of. The refugees, however, are still stuck. They don’t get preferential treatment when insecurity hits the region; they’re forced to stay where they are. Not only are they stuck in refugee camps, but they’re stuck in refugee camps in one of the most unstable countries in the world. If the UN pulls out its staff, it is only the refugees that suffer. But I’ll be heading home comfortably soon.

It’s really hard to describe how I feel right now, because it’s such a conglomeration of everything. I’m disappointed, but relieved that we’re safe. I’m exhausted, but raring to go. I’m concerned, but hopeful. We’ll keep you all posted. In the meantime, don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. But do worry about the refugees. Because their safety is much less guaranteed.

The bright morning sun pours through our windows, today we make it to Goz Beida, I thought to myself. The car arrived on time, unusual for Chad, but to great relief since we still needed that one last stamp to board the plane and be cleared to enter refugee camps in Goz Beida and KoKo. Road banditry has increased since February, and last night we received information via the AP press that there had been clashes outside of Goz Beida between rebel forces and Chadian military. No one at UNHCR seemed concerned, nor did anyone mention it; but I decided to split our luggage up a bit. I learned from last time, that it really is worth it to have a change of clothes, one towel and soap. So in goes a majority of our luggage to the car with Umar (driver) and Bouba (our old, good friend!), and everything tech and a little extra personal items comes with us.Our car is stopped at the gate of the airport, with a stern military official saying something to our driver, “Okay, okay” he responds, and we are on to the small room where people check in, weigh luggage on an ancient, manual scale, and wait. Flights to N’Djamena are normally full and there are two, so the airport is tight quarters that smells of sweating bodies and cigarettes. If you think that LAX or Heathrow in London are chaos, you would be out right astonished at the Abeche airport. It’s about 1,000 square feet – and they pack us in, every man for himself. Baggage tickets are checked for every piece being picked up, and sometimes, on the way out, only a small sticker label (the ones we would use for name tags) is split into thirds and slapped onto your luggage, as it is this morning. Getting closer, I thought.

Two separate times our luggage is taken outside, then brought back in. Apolinaire, one of our good friends at UNHCR who has been working with us since i-ACT3 is there to guide us through. We also meet one of the new international staffers who is on his way back to Goz Beida. Gabriel quickly makes friends, since he is from Brazil. The Spanish, I am telling you, comes in so handy. But I guess all those years of French would too, if only I could remember anything. One of the usual manifest/plane coordinators approaches us – “Canceled, no flight.”

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, I think to myself. This is getting ridiculous!

Apolinaire whispers to us, “Security no good in Goz Beida.”

So we head back to UNHCR to devise a new plan. I begin to worry about Bouba and our driver. They are two Chadians in a beat up car, so perhaps bandits or others will leave them alone, but I hope they make it. There are no cell phones for the four hour drive, and signals are the first thing to be cut in an area with rebel clashes. As we speak with Suzanne, I reflect on the fact that we are now actually lucky that we missed the flight to GZ yesterday, or we would be stuck in a compound, perhaps with sounds of fighting in the distance.

Our team decides that if we can get a hold of Bouba and have him drive back, if time allows, today, then we will join the security convoy to Farchana tomorrow morning at 8am. Now to find a place to live for another night in Abeche.

As we wait at WFP to see if their guesthouses have any rooms, we can hear military planes lifting off, and for a solid 20 minutes a military column heading to GZ passes by. Trucks loaded with guns, missiles, and men ready for combat head South.

Although MINURCAT and EUFOR forces are in the region, they have different mandates, neither of which entail disarming or stopping with force rebel columns. MINURCAT primarily provides security and convoys for NGOs while EUFOR forces “secure” specified areas surrounding refugee camps. I wonder if the 25 or so troops who were lounging by the pool, drinking and smoking at Le Meridien when we were there are now dressed and preparing for a rebel attack. This is the last chance for the rebels before the heavy rains begin to make themselves seen and heard by force to the President.

WFP is full, as expected. So we head back to UNHCR – our best bet is to reconnect with Suzanne, as she just called, and find a room, even if its only one, in an NGO compound.

“It’s just a hiccup,” Suzanne says to us. We are sitting in a small room with three mattresses off to the side of UNHCR’s fitness center, our home for the evening. I truly believe her. All is quiet here in Abeche and it will remain as such. If anything, the rebels will continue on past Goz Beida and on to N’Djamena. We are the lucky ones right now, that we have a bathroom, fresh bread and cheese, water, and mattresses. All International and National NGO staffers have been sent to “the zone,” which we are also in. But they will all be sleeping together, mostly outside, with all family members, and in an area with no water or other facilities.

I realize that this news is probably not what you or our families want to be reading right now. That many of you might be thinking, “not again.” But, really rebel movement in eastern Chad happens everyday, and as Suzanne said, “it’s just a hiccup.”

Our friends in the camps are really those who are most affected. Right now, with rainy season under way, refugee and IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps are already difficult to reach, but when vehicles and planes are grounded, they receive even less assistance. Hopefully, by morning, the fighting that is hours away from us has ended entirely and we can reassess our mission. Until then, please know that we are safe. And that our friends in the camps need you to still take ACTION today for them.