CHAD

President Deby repels rebel attacks on N'djamena with the help of French troops

Chad's President Deby introduces draconian measures to "prevent" further attacks by rebel forces

Chad has dug a three-metre deep trench around N'Djamena to force vehicles through one of a few fortified gateways into the dusty capital city, to prevent future attacks by rebel forces. It is one of several initiatives by President Idriss Deby, who survived a rebel onslaught in February, to prevent further attacks from the renegades based in the east of the country.

Government's tree surgeons are also cutting down centuries-old trees that line the city's main avenue for fear they can provide cover for attackers. Observers say initial fears that the rebels would regroup and attack N'Djamena again have proved unfounded. Nevertheless, the government is taking no chances. "It is part of our strategy," Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir said.

Last month, Chadian government renewed the state of emergency it imposed to restore order after the attack. Deby accuses Sudan of being behind the February attempted take-over of government by rebels, but the charges are denied by Khartoum which in turn accuses Chad of backing rebels in Sudan's Darfur region.

The rebel attack took place just before the deployment of a European peacekeeping force to safeguard refugees from Darfur in eastern Chad and the Central African Republic.

But just as security around N'Djamena is being tightened, the government is also seeking funds from the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) to repair parts of the capital destroyed during the attack in the February.

"Calm has returned to N'djamena. However, we saw a lot of destruction in the city. Several public buildings were destroyed and cannot be used," Minister of State for Agriculture, Haroun Kabadi, said in Brazzaville where he had gone to meet the Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Congo currently holds CEMAC's rotating presidency.

"It is in this context that we have come to meet President Sassou Nguesso so that CEMAC can make its contribution to the rehabilitation work that we have undertaken," he added.

According to Kabadi, buildings housing the national assembly, the Supreme Court, and several ministries, including the departments of oil and education were burnt by the rebels.

Sudan's President Bashir is accused by the Deby government of supporting Chadian rebels

Congo and Libya have been nominated by the African Union to mediate between the Chadian government and the rebels. Both countries have sent military observers to Chad.

However, observers have questioned government crackdown on the opposition and the independent media, particularly the disappearance of key opposition leaders since the February rebel attack on N'Djamena was repelled. For instance, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh, who was arrested by state security forces soon after the rebel attacks has not been seen since then. Ngarlejy Yorongar, another prominent opposition figure and Member of Parliament arrested at the same time, resurfaced only last month with a gory tale of his experiences at the hands of Chadian security. He barely survived his ordeal and just managed to escape to Cameroon. According to Yorongar, Saleh was beaten during his arrest and was in bad health when Yorongar last saw him.

Saleh, spokesman for a coalition of opposition political parties, Lol Mahamat Choua, a former president of Chad, and Yorongar, president of the political party Fédération Action pour la République, were seized on February 3, 2008 by state security forces.

Subsequently, Déby, explaining the disappearances of the opposition leaders, said the rebel attack "caused the death and disappearances of more than 400 civilians, including the leaders of political parties."

But Yorongar said he was arrested by government soldiers and taken to a prison inside a military base near the presidency, where Saleh and Lol Mahamat Choua were also held. He alleged that he was held in chains for 18 days until the early morning of February 21, when his captors took him to a nearby cemetery, unchained him and fired in his direction but did not hit him. Yorongar then fled and made his way to Cameroon.

Yorongar's release on February 21 coincided with statements by the Chadian and French foreign ministers that he had been "found alive." Human rights activists, however, say a commission of inquiry recently announced by Déby and hailed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his last visit to Chad, lacks independence and credibility because it is headed by the president of the Chadian National Assembly, a close Déby ally.

"President Sarkozy has come and gone, and Ibni is still missing. A commission run by a member of Chad's ruling party can't be independent. President Déby has pulled the wool over President Sarkozy's eyes," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

On a February visit to Chad by French President Sarkozy, Déby had said that Chad had established "an international commission of inquiry to shed light on the series of events that took place in N'Djamena" during the rebel attack. He said the commission would be led by the National Assembly President Nassour Ouaidou Guelendouksia, a member of President Déby's party and a former prime minister.

The commission's mandate is not limited to the "disappeared" politicians. According to its enabling decree, the commission's mandate covers "the Sudanese aggression of January 28 - February 8." The commission has 11 members, including seven Chadians and one member each from the European Union, the African Union, France and the International Organization of La Francophonie.

But the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also called on the Chadian government to end the increasing pressure on the media which worsened following the promulgation recently of a decree increasing jail terms for media offences. At least 10 journalists and newspaper directors have been forced to flee the country or go into hiding as a result.

"The situation in Chad is chaotic as government control of the media and its intimidation tactics have forced the few independent journalists remaining there into hiding. We call on the government of Chad to put an end to this new crackdown on the media and end the criminalization of press offences," said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa office.

The February 21 decree increased jail terms for press libel and strengthened government censorship. A state of emergency declared on February 15 already restricts media coverage and subjects private newspapers to preliminary approval by government officials before publication.

In protest against the draconian measures, major independent newspapers have suspended publication. Some radio stations have similarly stopped broadcasting news.