and the west’’, he told Inter Press Ser-vice, IPS Johannesburg.

In the past months alone, ethnic ten-sions have taken a severe toll. On Octo-ber 17th a land dispute in Nyokon inthe Centre Province pitted indigenouspeople against the Bamilekes—who areoriginally from West Province. Theviolence caused the death of six people.Conflict between the Banfaw and theBororos in Mamfe (south-western Cam-eroon) on October 9th left three dead.

Clashes between the Banyangui and theBororos in the north-west claimed 13lives during September, while another13 were killed in conflict between theBagam and the Bameyan in the west,in May. A further bout of inter-ethnicviolence that month in the southerntown of Kye-Ossi opposed indigenousand non-native peoples, killing two andleaving about 10 seriously injured.

Conflict between the Gbaya and theFoulbe in Meiganga, northern Camer-oon, in 2005, resulted in the death of20 people.

Diverse Causes

However, Charly Gabriel Mbock—ananthropologist from Yaounde—cau-tions that there is more to ethnic con-flict than meets the eye: ‘‘Most of theso-called ethnic conflicts are the conse-quences of poorly-studied and poorly-resolved social problems. The conflicts,before they are called ethnic, are ini-tially—and remain essentially—social’’.

‘‘Of all the declared social sources ofidentified conflicts’’, he adds, ‘‘the maincause is concern about land owner-ship’’.

Religious divisions such as thosebetween the Muslim Peuls and the tra-ditionally Christian Kirdi also play arole, as do concerns about the infringe-ment of one ethnic grouping on the ter-ritory traditionally occupied byanother—notably with the Choa Arabsand the Kotoko in the extreme northof Cameroon.

‘‘The cause of these incessant conflictsis found in the Kotokos’ failure toassimilate among the Choa Arabs … orin the refusal to integrate the Arabsinto the Kotoko community throughsharing the main institutions of tradi-tional power’’, MPKang Mandeng, ateacher at the University of Ngaoun-dere in northern Cameroon, told IPS.

In addition, ethnic divisions are oftenexploited for political and religiousgain, he said.

‘‘An analysis of the economic, politicaland religious foundations of ethnic con-flicts in northern Cameroon proves thatthe antagonisms between local popula-

tions are constructed and exploited bysocio-political and religious actors, andresult in a quasi-cyclical displacementof power from one ethnic group toanother.’’

Mbock voices similar sentiments. ‘‘Theelites of Cameroon … instigate or wor-sen inter-ethnic divisions for personalgain’’, he notes. ‘‘The public powersclearly draw an advantage from the dis-order provoked by the elites, to theextent that ethnic manipulation hasbecome a business for most politiciansand senior government officials.’’

Committees for Peace

Marcel Abena, an official in the Minis-try of Territorial Administration andDecentralisation, says government setsgreat store by overcoming divisions inCameroon.

‘‘The construction of national unitycounts for the most in the eyes of thestate’’, he told IPS. ‘‘Camerooniansmust behave as citizens and no longeras ‘natives’ of this or that tribe, regionor religion. Our duty is to protectCameroonians and give equal oppor-tunities to all.’’

However, certain observers accuseauthorities of obsessively denying theexistence of violent conflicts and antag-onisms between ethnic groups.

Now, the Ecumenical Service for Peace(Service oecumenique pour la paix,SEP), an NGO based in Yaounde, istaking action to manage these conflicts.

‘‘It’s time to deconstruct the mentalityof denying ethnic conflicts, to evolvetowards a peaceful transformation ofethnic conflicts’’, Dupleix Kuenzop, thedirector of programmes at SEP, toldIPS concerning a project that gotunderway in October.

‘‘Our project … will last three years. Itis focussed on 20 priority conflict zonesthat we have identified. Our objective isto prevent conflicts from degeneratinginto general violence, whether they arepolitical, economic, or related to landownership’’, he said. ‘‘We have createdcommittees for peace in the pilotzones.’’ (IPS, Johannesburg 21/11) Editor

under arrest p. 16838

CHAD/CENTRAL

AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Anti-Sudan Alliance?

The embattled neighbours are strug-gling in the increasingly regionalisedand bitter conflict.

Chad has offered to send troops to theCentral African Republic to help fight

rebels it claims are backed by Sudan.Since a rebellion began in Sudan’s Dar-fur region nearly four yeas ago, viol-ence has spilled over its borders intoeastern Chad and northern CAR.

Prime Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji saidas Sudan was attempting to destabiliseboth Chad and CAR there should be a‘‘general mobilisation’’ of the people.

During a three-week long offensive,CAR rebels have captured three towns,and an UN official said up to 10,000people had fled the latest rebel advancein the north-east.

At the same time, the Chadian govern-ment has declared a state of emergencyin the south-east, where escalating viol-ence has forced some 700,000 villagersfrom their homes.

During a speech to the NationalAssembly the prime minister said thatChad could not remain indifferent tothe plight in CAR. ‘‘A popular sayinggoes that if your neighbour’s house ison fire, you go to help him, or you riskthe fire spreading to your house’’, MrYoadimnadji said.

‘‘At the moment we speak, two col-umns of mercenaries are progressingtowards the [CAR] towns of Bria andNdele’’.

He did not specify how many soldiersthe government planned to deploy.

Former colonial power France has alsopledged its logistical and intelligencesupport to CAR (see below).

Meanwhile, United Nations High Com-missioner for Human Rights (UNHCR)Louise Arbour called on November17th for immediate action to be takento prevent a human rights catastrophein Chad. ‘‘I am deeply concerned thatthe horrendous violence that has beenwracking Darfur is affecting Chad’’,she said in a statement. According tothe government, about 300 people hadbeen killed in the violence since lateOctober in eastern Chad.

Both Chad and Central African Repub-lic have called for the deployment ofinternational peacekeepers to securetheir borders with Sudan. But Sudanrefused to permit a robust UNpeacekeeping force to relieve anover-stretched African Union (AU) con-tingent in Darfur. It is hoped theNovember 16th agreement on a jointUN and African Union peacekeepingforce for Darfur could ease the situation(p. 16868). (BBC news online 17/11)

Chad is also fighting a rebellion againstthe government of President IdrissDeby that aid agencies say has divertedits army away from the border, openingthe door to militia attacks launchedfrom Sudanese territory.

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Over 60,000 people have been dis-placed, including thousands since theend of the rainy season in late Septem-ber, and there have been several well-documented massacres.

New York-based Human Rights Watch(HRW) released a report on November16th, with dozens of accounts from sur-vivors of militia attacks in easternChad over the past few weeks. Accord-ing to a 21-year-old man injured in anattack on November 7th, the perpetra-tors were a mixed group of Chadiansand Sudanese combatants.

Leslie Lefkow, Darfur researcher forHRW, told IRIN that the fresh viol-ence in Chad is partly being triggeredby the end of seasonal rains and themigration of nomads.

‘‘But it’s part of the broader picture ofincreasing violence against civilians allalong this regional area’’, she said.‘‘There’s been instability in Chad foryears and equally one can say in CAR.What the Darfur crisis has done is tocreate linkages between armed groupsin the different countries.’’

She said it reminded her of the regionaldynamics in West Africa among SierraLeone, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Gui-nea. ‘‘You see the circulation of armedgroups and support of armed groupsgoing across the border and it justbecomes a kind of vicious circle’’, shesaid. (IRIN, N’Djamena 17/11)

CAR—UN Mission Extended

The Security Council on November22nd extended the mandate of the Uni-ted Nations political mission in theCAR by another year as it expresseddeep concern about the deterioratingsecurity situation in the impoverishednation.

In a presidential statement read out byAmbassador Jorge Voto-Bernales ofPeru, Council members also voicedfears that conditions could worsen fur-ther because of instability along itsvolatile borders with Sudan and Chad.The statement noted the attacks byrebels since late October on the north-eastern towns of Birao, Ouanda-Djalleand Sam Ouandja, and said the Coun-cil was concerned about the capacity ofthe armed forces of the CAR to dealwith the insecurity, especially in thenorth and north-east.

The UN’s Department of PeacekeepingOperations has dispatched a fact-find-ing mission to the CAR to assess thesecurity situation along the borders.

The mandate of the UN PeacebuildingSupport Office in the CAR, establishedin 2000 and known by the French acro-nym BONUCA, will now run untilDecember 31st 2007.

The Council statement said it welcomedthe efforts of the CAR Government torevive dialogue with political and civilsociety groups, and it urged BONUCAto support the regular staging of suchmeetings, ‘‘which are vital to restoringtrust among Central Africans and pro-moting lasting reconciliation’’.

Council members also praised the‘‘courageous’’ stance of the governmentto try to improve the management ofthe national treasury and ensure trans-parency in economic activity and gov-ernance. (UN News, New York 22/11)

The Economic Community of CentralAfrican States (CEMAC) is also deploy-ing troops to the CAR, Gabonese Presi-dent Omar Bongo, who is at the head ofthe CEMAC, announced on November18th. CEMAC troops were said to be inthe mining town of Bria, trying to haltthe advance of the insurgents.

By mid-November, the Union des forcesdemocratiques pour le rassemblement(UEDR) rebels had captured three

towns in the north, and said they werealso targetting Bria, capital of thenortheastern province of Haute-Kotto,with at least 20,000 inhabitants. A largenumber of civilians were said to haveflocked to Bria to try and escape thefighting.

Meanwhile, France acceded to a requestby President Francois Bozize for milit-ary aid to help repulse the UFDRrebels. France said it would providelogistics and military equipment to thearmy.

‘‘This assistance is provided in theframe of the military and defenceaccord between France and our coun-try’’, Cyriaque Gonda, Bozize’s spokes-man, said. ‘‘This assistance will boostthe efficiency of the army to stop therebels’ progression and restore thecountry’s territorial integrity.’’ OnNovember 24th, the French chief ofstaff said an extra 100 men would bedeployed to help its Boali detachmentof 200.

BOROGATS

ZAGHAWAS

TAMASOUADDAIENS

ARABES

ARABES

ARABES

HADJARAÏS

PEULS

MOUNDANGS

SARAS

KANEMBOUS

ARABES

MASSALITS

LIBYE

NIGER

Bardai

BORKOU-ENNEDI-TIBESTI

Fada

ENNEDI

Faya-Largeau

DarfourNord

DarfourEst

100 km

DarfourSud

Abéché

Mao

SOUDANAti

N’DJAMENA Mongo

Am Timan

ex-Fort de Faya-Largeau

Emi Koussi3 415

T I B E S T I

T O U B O U S

GO

R A N E S

BO

R K O U

KANEM

BATHA

BILTINE

Bitkine

GUERA

Harazé

Sarh

Bongor

NIGERIA

CAMEROUN CENTRAFRIQUE

Moundou

Laï

Dobaex-Fort Archambault

SALAMATCHARI-BAGUIRMI

TANDJILEMAYO-KEBBI

ex-Fort Lamy

LOGONE-OCC.MOYEN-CHARI

LOGONE-OR

Paoua

(Le Monde, Paris; World Bank) see box on p.16887AB for details of groups

BiltineGuereda

Adré

OUADDAÏGoz-Beïda

Al-Geneina Al-Fasher

Nyala

Chari

Logone

SLA

JEM

SCUD

RPJ FUC

MPRD

FDPC

MDJT

TELSI RN

FUC

BolLac Tchad

MDD

Chad’s Armed Groups

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Acknowledging the rebel capture ofnorthern towns of Birao and Ouadda-Djalle, Gonda said residents of thesmall mining town of Sam-Ouandja,the third town the rebels claim to haveseized, fled before the rebels’ arrival.

UFDR spokesman Abakar Sabounecriticised the French gesture. ‘‘We arereally unhappy with the decision byFrance to provide the CAR troops withlogistics and materials’’, he said. ‘‘Thisassistance illustrates French support forthe ruling regime rather than the peoplewho want to put an end to the chaoticrule of President Bozize.’’

He said the rebels had, in the mean-time, suspended their operations inorder to give Bozize time to ‘‘changehis mind’’ and agree to ‘‘holdinground-table talks over power sharing inthe country. This truce aims at mobilis-ing African leaders in the sub-region topersuade President Bozize to call fordialogue’’, Saboune added.

Since they captured Birao, the rebelshave been calling for power-sharingtalks with Bozize, claiming the Presi-dent was running the country on ethniclines. They have also accused Bozize offostering an exclusionist policy, mis-managing public funds, corruption andnepotism. (IRIN, Bangui 14/11; RFI,Paris 19/11; AFP, Paris 23/11: BBCMon.; Le Monde 25/11)

Le Monde, Paris, said that UDFRspokesman Captain Saboune, reachedby telephone, said their intention wasto put an end to bad management andcorruption. The authorities claim therebels come from Sudan, which deniesit.

The head of an army which is impover-ished and often accused of inefficiency,President Bozize does not have thecapacity to reconquer the lost towns,700km distant from the capital. Frenchsupport will be limited to logistics, saysLe Monde. (Le Monde, Paris 14/11)

Meanwhile the UN launched a newhumanitarian air service in the CAR atthe beginning of the month. (UN News,New York 1/11)

Chad—State of Emergency

In embattled Chad, the governmentdeclared a state of emergency onNovember 14th in the east as well asthe capital N’Djamena and severalparts of the country, blaming Sudanfor the worsening violence.

‘‘Faced with this generalised war thatthe Sudanese government has imposedon us, all Chadians are being asked tomobilise to defend our country andassure our security and national unity’’,Prime Minister Pascal Yoadimnadjisaid.

The declaration followed over 200deaths in clashes along the border withthe Darfur region between Arabs andnon-Arabs, Kibets. The violenceerupted in the Salamat region, 600kmsoutheast of the capital, N’Djamena,and south of the town of Ouaddai.

On or around November 4th, some 139civilians and fighters were killed in a firstbout of fighting, and a further 50 peoplesubsequently, according to governmentofficials who had visited the region.

‘‘The Arabs in the neighbouring can-tons organised themselves and attackedKibets villages’’, said Ahmat MahamatBachir, Chadian Territorial Administra-tion minister.

The UNHCR confirmed that the viol-ence appeared to mirror that of the jan-jaweed in Sudan and at least 220people had been killed.

The state of emergency was imposed inthe regions of Salamat, Ouaddai, WadiFira, Hadjer Lamis, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Moyen Chari, Mandoul andthe capital, N’Djamena. The govern-ment also said authorities could ‘‘useall means at their disposition’’ to putan end to the clashes and were author-ised to censor the media.

‘‘The Sudanese government, not con-tent to have sown desolation in Darfur,provoking a massive influx of refugeesinto Chad for which we bear the conse-quences, wants now to export thisinternal conflict on Chadian territory’’,Yoadimnadji said in a statement. (IRIN,N’Djamena 9, 14/11)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) con-demned the imposition of prior censor-ship on the print media and a ban onsensitive issues on private radio stationsunder the state of emergency.

‘‘The return of censorship is unaccepta-ble, and we appeal to the Chadian gov-ernment to adopt a different way ofworking with the press during this try-ing period in the country’s history’’, thepress freedom organisation said.‘‘Emergency measures to control newsand information are not an appropriateresponse to the problems Chad faces.On the contrary, it will exacerbate ten-sion and foster polarisation, and willnot stop information getting out.’’(RSF, Paris, 14/11)

Meanwhile, one of Chad’s top armyofficers was killed in the fighting. GenMoussa Seugui died after being shot inthe shoulder in the south-eastern townof Hadjer Meram, Defence MinisterBichara Issa told the BBC.

The general was taken to hospital butdoctors were unable to save him. (BBCNews online 30/10) (See p. 16868) French

intervention p. 16686

COTE D’IVOIRE

Militia Versus Residents

The culture of impunity is blamedfor unrestrained urban violence.

As human rights groups warn of agrowing ‘‘culture of impunity’’ in Coted’Ivoire, the United Nations has calledon officials to speed up the dismantlingof pro-government militia after a UNstaffer was briefly abducted in earlyNovember.

On November 6th, a group of some 200militiamen in the western government-run town of Duekoue abducted the UNemployee, demanding money from thegovernment disarmament programme inreturn for his release, the UN Operationin Cote d’Ivoire (ONUCI) said in astatement on the 7th.

The abduction followed clashes onNovember 3rd that pitted pro-govern-ment militia holed up in improvisedbarracks against angry residents andsecurity forces in the Yopougon suburbof Cote d’Ivoire’s main city, Abidjan.

Two members of the Patriot Groupingfor Peace (GPP) militia were burnedalive and two residents died from knifeinjuries sustained in the fighting. Theclash marked the first time local resi-dents single-handedly attacked a militiacamp since the war erupted.

Human rights groups say the recentactions by militia members reflect aserious problem with impunity in Coted’Ivoire, which has been dividedbetween a government-run north and arebel-held south since a failed couptriggered a brief civil war in 2002.

‘‘There is always the probability thatthe cycle of violence will repeat itself aslong as there is a government in placethat seems unwilling or unable toaddress the fundamental impunitywhich allows these groups to operate’’,Dustin Sharp of New York-basedHuman Rights Watch (HRW) said.

The latest trouble in Yopougon eruptedin early November when several militiamembers began looting grocery storesfor rice and palm oil. The militia hadbeen stealing construction material,food and cellular phones for months,and the looting spree was the ‘‘laststraw’’, according to resident AntoineKouame, who is unemployed. ‘‘Wewere tired of it’’, he said. ‘‘We are veryhappy that they are gone. We can goabout our business as usual again.’’

Nearly 400 GPP militia members hadbeen camping on the abandonedlagoon-side site since police and gen-darmes had evicted them from a school

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