NEW YORK: The U.S. Institute of Peace funds Caring for Kaela to organize a Multi-Stakeholders Consultation on Chad, hosted by the International Peace Institute.

Multi-Stakeholder's Consultation on Chad

Date: October 8th, 2008 

Location: International Peace Institute, Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security & Development

Agenda

Full Report

Caring for Kaela, in collaboration with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the International Peace Institute (IPI), organized a consultation to address the political instability in Chad and its implications for the widening regional crises in general. This consultation was an important step towards developing and promoting a new and comprehensive political process for lasting peace and human rights in Chad and the region. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTATION
This off-the record consultation sought to analyze the root causes of the internal Chadian crisis, to examine strategies currently in place to achieve sustainable peace in Chad and the region and to establish a pattern for further engagements between the international community, African institutions, and the Chadian government.

Mr. Victor Angelo, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), participated as Caring for Kaela's guest of honor. He opened discussions during the first panel on the analysis of the internal Chadian conflict. The consultation brought together Ambassadors, senior officials and experts on Chad from the European Union; the United Nations; the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC); representatives from the governments of Belgium, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, France, Ireland, Libya, Nigeria, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States; experts from the nongovernmental community; academia; members of the Chadian Diaspora; and other significant international stakeholders.

Over the course of a day-long meeting, the consultation was an opportunity for major stakeholders in Chad to debate the effectiveness of current strategies and to analyze the Chadian crisis under its multiple facets.
 

BACKGROUND
The conflict in Darfur and the political instability in Chad are intricately linked, creating a humanitarian emergency of devastating proportions. In Chad alone, there are nearly 470,000 displaced people from the two crises. However, the connection between the two countries goes beyond their geographic proximity; Sudan and Chad have supported each other's rebel groups as a means of waging a proxy war. Although many analysts and policy makers now accept that the conflicts in Chad and Darfur have mutually reinforcing dynamics, comparatively little has been done to resolve the drivers of conflict in Chad, while the Darfur conflict has been at the center of international mediation and peacekeeping efforts in the region.

While the international community supports a comprehensive peace process for the Darfur region, and the Contact Group [1] is leading efforts to end the proxy war between Chad and Sudan, no parallel political process exists for Chad’s internal crisis that generated the formation of rebel groups. Instead, the focus has been on resolving the cross-border insecurity by authorizing the deployment of EUFOR/MINURCAT and UNAMID. This strategy has been shown to be insufficient to ensure peace and stability in the region. Indeed, in the April 2008 United Nations Secretary-General’s report on CAR and Chad, Ban Ki-moon stated that to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, and to ensure the protection of refugees and IDPs, the crises in Chad and Sudan must be tackled simultaneously through a coordinated strategy “that takes into account the root causes of the internal conflicts and the regional aspects.” [2] In the same report, the U.N. Secretary-General acknowledges that “neither MINURCAT nor EUFOR is ideally mandated to address these issues.” [3]

Attempts to start an internal dialogue to engender political reforms in Chad have thus far not succeeded. The implementation of the most recent agreement, signed on August 13, 2007 between the Government of Chad and the political parties, has been uneven. The hard work of ending armed conflict and human rights violations in Sudan will continue to be undermined unless a coordinated and comprehensive national, regional, international strategy is established to address the connected regional crises between Sudan and Chad and the internal drivers of conflict within Chad. 
 

ABOUT USIP
The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and development, and increase conflict management capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide. The Institute does this by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by directly engaging in peace building efforts around the globe.

ABOUT IPI
The International Peace Institute (IPI), formerly the International Peace Academy, is an independent, international institution dedicated to promoting the prevention and settlement of armed conflict between and within states through policy research and development.

ABOUT CFK
CFK is a Christian relief and development organization created to raise children out of poverty by strengthening individuals with the skills needed to become the solution to their own problems. We strengthen the communities where we work by promoting self-sustained, people-centered approaches to development and building the foundation for peaceful and productive societies. 

 
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[1] The Contact Group was created to monitor the implementation of the Dakar Agreement, signed on March 13, 2008 to put an end to the support by Chad and Sudan of each other’s rebel groups. The Contact Group includes: Libya, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Gabon, Eritrea, Chad, Sudan, the Community of Sahel-Saharan states, the Economic Community of Central African States, and the African Union.
[2] UN Security Council, “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad,”(S/2008/215), April 1, 2008, paragraph 38.
[3] Ibid.