Take Action: Chad

Senate Resolution 470
For many who follow the crisis in Darfur, Chad is simply the neighboring country where hundreds of thousands have sought refuge from the rampages of armed militia backed by the Sudanese government. But today, Chad is engulfed in its own crisis, one that draws on internal contradictions but is fueled and inflamed by the conflict in Darfur. And it is one that is poised to claim tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children as its victims.

Time is not on the side of civilians in eastern Chad, whether they are among the 180,000 internally displaced Chadians, the 231,000 Sudanese refugees, or the longstanding residents of villages vulnerable to the swirling winds of violence in the region. Having just returned from a visit to the Chad/Sudan border, ENOUGH strongly believes there is a real risk of an escalation of violence and attacks on civilians in the coming weeks and months. We must speed up the deployment of the European Union protection force and mount a robust diplomatic campaign that addresses the multiple layers of conflict fueling the violence.

S. Res 470 seeks to bring peace to Chad by:

• Calls Chadian and Sudanese governments to devote political commitment and material resources to resolve the regional conflicts.
• Calls on all parties involved in conflicts to cease hostiles and uphold basic human rights.
• Calls on Chad and Sudan to reaffirm and uphold commitments to previously signed peace agreements.
• Supports multilateral peacekeeping missions in Darfur and Eastern Chad.
• Continues humanitarian and security assistance in the region.

You can make a difference in bringing peace to Chad by spreading the word and contacting your Senators (1-202-224-3121 9:00am–6:00pm EST, Monday through Friday) and demanding the following:

• Urge them to co-sponsor S Res 470 introduced by Senator Feingold and Senator Lugar as an essential step to achieving peace in Chad and Darfur.
• Calls on all governments to increase political participation improve accountability and protect its own citizens.
• Push for political reform inside Chad to deal with the internal political crisis.
• Promote diplomatic efforts in support of a comprehensive peace process in the region.

Darfur Activists Outline Steps To Address Darfur Spillover Into Chad
Following attempts by reportedly Sudan-backed rebels to overthrow the Chadian government, with violence and displacement in Eastern Chad and capital city N’Djamena, Darfur activists urged world leaders to quickly adopt policies that will end Sudan’s menacing role in the region.


Activists from the Save Darfur Coalition, the ENOUGH Project and the Genocide Intervention Network outlined three key steps to address the unrest in Chad and its root cause in Khartoum, including sanctions against Sudanese officials responsible for supporting the overthrow of Chadian officials and those responsible for obstructing the deployment of international peacekeepers in Darfur and Chad.


1) The U.S., France and UK should work with China and Russia to introduce immediately a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing targeted sanctions on senior Sudanese officials responsible for supporting the overthrow of a neighboring sovereign government, for obstructing the deployment of international protection forces in Chad and Darfur, and for continuing to promote violence in Darfur.


2) The U.S., France, UK and China should form an international "Quartet" to work with the UN and AU in promoting an end to the interconnected conflicts in Chad and Sudan.


3) The "Quartet" should work together to ensure that the UN-led peacekeeping mission in Darfur and the EU-led peacekeeping mission in Chad are deployed immediately.


Click here to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and demand international action to bring an end to the violence in Chad and Sudan.