Yearbook 2006
Chad. In January, Parliament decided to postpone the
parliamentary elections for a year, which was criticized by
the opposition. Parliament's justification was that the
country could not afford to hold two elections the same
year, presidential elections would be held later in the
year.
It was reported at the beginning of the year that several
of President Idriss Déby's supporters deserted to the
eastern Chad rebels, and in March it was announced that
hundreds of soldiers had been arrested for coup attempts
against the president. According to
CountryAAH, Déby was also pressured by foreign
policy through a conflict with Sudan in the border area,
where Chadian rebels operated from Darfur on the Sudanese
side. In the spring, the government army launched an
offensive in the east against the rebel forces. At the same
time, the Chadian regime threatened to expel a few hundred
thousand Sudanese who fled to Chad from the war and famine
in Darfur. But the regime decided instead to close the
border with Sudan, which worried relief organizations that
assisted the Chadian side by hundreds of thousands of
internally displaced people in Sudan.
In the May presidential election, Déby was unarmed, as
the opposition largely boycotted the election. According to
official figures, the president received 77% of the vote,
but according to the opposition, the data on voter turnout
was exaggerated. They were later adjusted down to just over
half of those entitled to vote. Déby's victory figure
changed to just under 65%. After the election, Déby accused
Sudan of wanting to transfer his internal conflict to the
Chadian side of the border.
The dreaded Sudanese Janjawid militia, which carried out
bloody massacres in Darfur, was reported to have made
violent raids even inside Chad. In July, however, Chad and
Sudan signed an agreement on joint border monitoring, and
both countries pledged not to allow the other side's rebels
on their land.
The ChevronTexaco and Petronas oil companies, which
accounted for more than half of Chad's oil production, were
accused in August of tax evasion and called on the
government to leave the country. Three ministers were also
dismissed, accused of helping companies avoid tax. The
measures were seen as part of the government's plans for
increased oil cooperation with China, with which Chad
resumed diplomatic relations. In the fall, however, the
government signed an agreement with ChevronTexaco and
Petronas, who were allowed to stay in the country.
The fighting between the army and rebels in eastern Chad
intensified at the end of the year, and the Janjawid militia
from Sudan attacked Chadian villages. It was believed that
Sudanese rebels had Déby's silent permission to operate
inside Chad if they fought the Chadian rebels. Reports from
eg. Relief workers said that hundreds of people were killed
in villages far from the Sudanese border.
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