July 14, 2011<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Indications from Paris that France may be ready to bring an end to Op\u00e9ration \u00c9pervier<\/span>, its 25-year-old military mission in Chad, have been welcomed by both the government of President Idriss D\u00e9by and General Mahamat Nouri, commander of one of Chad\u2019s leading rebel movements. The French mission has both a land and air component and is based in two places; the airport at the capital of N\u2019Djamena in the west and Ab\u00e9ch\u00e9 (former capital of the Sultanate of Wadai) in the east. Three Mirage 2000 jet fighters form part of the mission as do roughly 1,000 troops, mostly of the French Foreign Legion.<\/span><\/p>\n French Foreign Legion Unit in Chad<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n During talks with Chad in Paris on July 5, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe suggested that there was no longer any reason for France to continue keeping roughly 1,000 French troops in Chad. A senior official of the Chadian Foreign Ministry said N\u2019Djamena had no objections: \u201cChad is prepared to begin negotiations with French authorities as early as next week\u2026 \u00c9pervier<\/span> has been in Chad for 25 years. It is time to review this structure to adapt to the current context\u201d (AFP, July 6). <\/span><\/p>\n General Mahamat Nouri, the leader of the rebel Alliance nationale pour le changement d\u00e9mocratique (ANCD) said he was \u201cvery pleased\u201d with the remarks of the French Foreign Minister, acknowledging that the rebels \u201cwould probably be in power were it not for the French troops.\u201d The general also hailed what he described as the French \u201cdetermination to pursue a transparent, credible foreign policy in line with its historical and cultural values\u201d (AFP, July 6). Nouri, along with other Chadian rebel leaders living in Sudan, was expelled to Doha last year after the rapprochement between N\u2019Djamena and Khartoum. <\/span><\/p>\n Chad was formed as a territory of France after the conquest of a number of small sultanates and the expulsion of the Libyan Sanusis in the early years of the 20th century. The territory eventually gained independence in 1960, though economic and security ties with France remained strong.<\/span><\/p>\n Op\u00e9ration \u00c9pervier<\/span> (Sparrowhawk) began in 1986 to supply French military assistance to the regime of Hiss\u00e8ne Habr\u00e9 when the Libyan army tried to seize the uranium-rich Aouzou Strip in northern Chad. When General D\u00e9by overthrew the increasingly brutal Habr\u00e9 in 1990 the French mission did not interfere. Habr\u00e9 fled to Senegal where he remained safe since Senegal had no law regarding \u201ccrimes against humanity\u201d on its books and also wanted to avoid the considerable cost involved in trying a former head-of-state for the murders of over 40,000 individuals. Senegal recently decided to extradite Habr\u00e9 to Chad but reversed itself at the urging of UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, who warned\u00a0 <\/span>Habr\u00e9 could be tortured if returned to Chad. Belgium has now offered to try Habr\u00e9 under its \u201cuniversal competence\u201d law (Reuters, July 11; AFP, July 11). <\/span><\/p>\n Much has changed in Chad since 2008, when D\u00e9by and his loyalists fought off a Sudanese-supported rebel invasion in the streets of N\u2019Djamena with intelligence and logistical assistance from the French military. Deby\u2019s new confidence no doubt arises from the pact he signed with Sudan\u2019s Omar al-Bashir, in which both sides pledged to end their proxy war along the Chad-Sudan border. Though such pacts have collapsed in the past, this time Sudan is likely to be consumed by its own internal problems for a considerable time following the independence of South Sudan. D\u00e9by has also worked to fortify N\u2019Djamena to prevent a repeat of the 2008 rebel assault. A three-meter deep trench has been built around the city to force all traffic to enter through fortified gateways. Many of N\u2019Djamena\u2019s trees have also been cut down to prevent rebels from using them to block roads (Reuters, March 3, 2008; BBC, March 4, 2008).<\/span><\/p>\n During last August\u2019s celebration of 50 years of Chadian independence, D\u00e9by suggested it was time to begin charging France for maintaining a military presence in Chad. According to the President, Operation Epervier no longer played a role in Chad aside from \u201cproviding some healthcare for the sick and logistical support in case of an attack somewhere\u2026<\/span> We have no defense accord with France. And the presence of \u00c9pervier<\/span> has nothing to do with our independence or our sovereignty. \u00c9pervier<\/span> is not here to help or support a government or a regime.\u201d (Le Figaro<\/i>, August 26, 2010). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n D\u00e9by may face new security challenges in northern Chad, where a trade system based on supplies from Libya has broken down, causing severe shortages of many commodities in the region (Le Monde<\/i>, July 7). There are some 70,000 Chadian workers who have been expelled from Libya due to the civil war as well as fears of arms reaching Chadian insurgents and criminals from uncontrolled weapons depots in Libya. <\/span><\/p>\n There is also speculation that D\u00e9by is seeking to replace the historical relationship with France with a less intrusive economic partnership with China. Ties with China have been steadily increasing since 2006 and the China National Petroleum Corporation has just started operations at a joint venture oil refinery outside of N\u2019Djamena (Xinhua, July 1). <\/span><\/p>\n In a related development, a French court has found four men guilty of \u201crobbery leading to death without intention to kill\u201d in the death of D\u00e9by\u2019s son, Brahim D\u00e9by. A resident of Paris with previous convictions for drugs and weapons possession, Brahim D\u00e9by was attacked with a taser gun and covered in fire extinguisher foam in a 2007 robbery that prosecutors said had no political connection (Le Monde<\/i>, July 7; Radio France Internationale, July 8). <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n This article was originally published in the July 14, 2011 issue of the Jamestown Foundation\u2019s Terrorism Monitor.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Andrew McGregor July 14, 2011 Indications from Paris that France may be ready to bring an end to Op\u00e9ration \u00c9pervier, its 25-year-old military mission in Chad, have been welcomed by both the government of President Idriss D\u00e9by and General Mahamat … Continue reading <\/p>\n
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![\"Foreign](\"https:\/\/www.aberfoylesecurity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Foreign-Legion-Biltine.jpg\")
<\/a>Operation \u00c9pervier:<\/span> 2e<\/sup> r\u00e9giment \u00e9tranger de parachutistes ( 2e<\/sup> REP) at Biltine, Chad<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n