Chadian Transition President Visits Northern Battlegrounds

Chad’s President Visits Bardaï in Wake of Rebel Attacks

Following reported attacks on military positions by armed rebels, Chad’s transitional president, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, arrived in Bardaï, a town north of the capital by over 1,000 km, according to a statement from his office on Thursday. Presidential spokesman Brah Mahamat confirmed the visit’s purpose was to empower the troops and boost existing military infrastructure.

President Déby’s Visit in the Wake of Rebel Assaults

Most of Chad’s primary rebel movements, including the heavily mobilized Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic (CCMSR), operate from this desert region in the Tibesti Massif, maintaining bases along the southern Libyan border. These groups frequently impede troop movements and launched a significant offensive in the spring of 2021 that claimed the life of President Idriss Déby Itno.

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The CCMSR and Recent Conflicts

Recently, the CCMSR claimed that they carried out strikes against the incumbent junta, allegedly the enemy of the Chadian people, in the Wour and Kouri areas. These locations are within close proximity to Bardaï, President Déby’s current location.

The declared simultaneous assaults resulted in an unspecified number of fatalities, including two rebel soldiers, according to an external relations representative for the CCMSR, Choueb Adoum. In its missive, the CCMSR also alleged the capture of 23 soldiers alive and the destruction of nine armored vehicles, along with the theft of miscellaneous military equipment.

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Conflict in a Resource-Rich Region

However, these figures can’t be independently corroborated in this affluent gold region— a major battle site for rebels, illegal gold miners, and military forces. The authorities have yet to respond to these claims.

In the first week of June, a sequence of skirmishes between the army and rebels resulted in conflicting reports. While the army reported that they had eliminated 23 rebel combatants, the opposition claimed to have downed 15 soldiers in the Tibesti Massif, a region infamous for frequent clashing between the two factions.

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The Ongoing Armed Conflict in Chad

The President’s visit aims to strengthen the troops’ morale and fortify the military bases in light of recent attacks. The intrusion by armed combatants claiming allegiance to the CCMSR underscores the volatile situation in northern Chad. The transition period in Chad continues to be tense as rebel groups battle in a phantom war for control, causing severe stability issues in the Northern gold-rich region, displacing thousands, and escalating humanitarian concerns.