CHAD: The U.S. can Set the Tone

July 2009

By N. Losson

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Peace-building in fragile States is a challenge recognized universally as amongst the most complex the international community and this administration will have to face. Chad, for example, ranks at the bottom of corruption indices and most development indicators. The U.S. Department of State 2008 Human Rights Report on Chad documents grievous human rights violations by the GOC and the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report lists Chad as a Tier 3 country.

The roots of Chad’s fragility are found in the confiscation of power by ethnic minorities challenged by warlords fighting for additional resources. In a context characterized by fluid allegiances, this cycle of violence cannot be broken by simply co-opting dissidents into the current government but should be addressed by investing in people and building leaders. A substantive peace process would bring all parties to the negotiating table (armed and un-armed) for Chadians to resolve issues of chronic instability in their country, ensure that all are given a stake in the implementation of the August 13th agreement and to prevent 2011 Presidential elections from becoming an exercise in futility. Participation means empowerment and is necessary to engender the type of cultural shift needed to build the foundation for a more democratic Chadian State.

It is encouraging that the U.S. Government is already taking steps towards resolving Chad’s internal political crisis and is seeking the support of stakeholders such as Libya and France to strengthen its strategy. The U.S can continue to set the tone with the international community and in Chad by implementing the following recommendations:

1. Build a strong coalition of international support for substantive political negotiations between the GOC and CAOG, ensuring that the African Union, European Union, United Nations, China, France and Libya are all on the same page
2. Urge the Government of Chad to initiate an inclusive and comprehensive peace process that addresses the root causes of Chad’s political crisis and gives each component of the Chadian conflict a stake in its success
3. Working at the level of the Security Council, give MINURCAT a political mandate and the SRSG the lead in political negotiations
4. Ensure that progressively higher-level contacts with U.S. Government officials are contingent on the GOC implementing concrete democracy-building benchmarks
5. Pressure the Government of Chad for faster reforms of the Chadian National Army and the demilitarization of the Administration of the Territory
6. Create a Contact Group of primary stakeholders that meets regularly to discuss issues of peace and security in Chad

Chad is a good example where robust U.S. diplomacy, coupled with international collaboration, can help avoid a change of power by arms, prevent massive casualties and help restore national and regional stability.