Home |
Site Index |
FAQs |
Contact |
RSS
|
Podcast
home > by publication type > podcasts > De Waal: Chad Rebellion Could 'Set Darfur Aflame'
Email
| Interviewee: | Alex de Waal |
|---|---|
| Interviewer: | Stephanie Hanson |
February 5, 2008
On February 2, rebels attacked Chad’s capital in an attempt to unseat President Idriss Deby. Analysts fear the rebellion could delay a planned European Union peacekeeping force in eastern Chad and complicate the crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region. Alex de Waal, an Africa expert at the Social Science Research Council, says this rebel attack was backed by the Sudanese government, and was timed to precede the arrival of the European Union peacekeeping force on the ground in eastern Chad. Although this force is supposed to be politically neutral, it’s not viewed that way in the region. “Everyone believes it is there actually to politically and militarily protect Idriss Deby,” says de Waal, whom he calls a “ruthless tyrant.”
De Waal predicts urban warfare in N'Djamena. Deby has rounded up most of Chad’s civilian opposition and civil society leaders, and de Waal is “very concerned” that Deby might massacre these individuals. He says it’s possible the rebels will take the capital, and if they do, Khartoum will become even more powerful in the region. If Deby manages to prevail, which de Waal thinks is likely because he has the backing of Libya and France, he anticipates a short-term escalation of the crisis in Darfur. If that happens, there is a danger that Sudan will, in turn, escalate the war in Chad.
The French play a significant role in Chad. “It is important that a third way is recognized,” says de Waal. A Chadian government does not have to be either Deby or the rebels, but could be a civilian alternative. He argues that the French must protect these civil society leaders so that Chad has a chance at stability, security sector reform, and democratization.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
I understand that I may access this podcast solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write webmaster@cfr.org.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of the sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world.
Complete list of CFR Books.
This report argues that the United States must lead with domestic action on climate change and proposes a U.S. negotiating strategy for a global UN climate agreement that includes commitments from all major economies, while also promoting a less formal Partnership for Climate Cooperation that would focus the world's largest emitters on implementing aggressive emissions reductions.
This Task Force report examines changes in Latin America and in U.S. influence there, while taking account of the region's enduring importance to the United States. The Task Force offers an agenda for U.S. policy toward Latin America and identifies four critical areas that should provide the basis of a new U.S. approach.
About Independent Task Forces at the Council.
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
