Battle of N'Djamena (2008)

Battle of N'Djamena
Part of Civil war in Chad (2005–present)
Date February 2–February 4 2008 Location N'Djamena, Chad Result Chadian victory Rebels fail to take N'Djamena
Belligerents
UFDD rebels UFDD-F rebels RFC rebels	Chadian National Army JEM rebels from Darfur
Commanders and leaders
Mahamat Nouri Timane Erdimi Aboud Mackaye	Idriss Déby Itno Daoud Soumain  † Mohamed Abdallah  †
Strength
2,000 rebels 300 technicals	2,000–3,000 Chadian soldiers
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown number of troops killed, 30 tanks destroyed Unknown number of Darfur rebels killed
Civilian casualties: At least 160 civilians killed (Red Cross) At least 100 civilians killed and 700 wounded (MSF estimate)

Template:FixBunching The Battle of N'Djamena began on February 2 2008 when Chadian rebel forces opposed to Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno entered N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, after a three-day advance through the country. The rebels, based in the east near the Sudanese border, crossed more than 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) of desert terrain and entered N'Djamena, in the far west of Chad. However, after two days of intense fighting, the rebels said that they had temporarily withdrawn to allow civilians to flee before another attack. Déby's forces remained in control of the city, and Déby declared victory.

Background and rebel advance toward N'Djamena

Location of N'Djamena in Chad

Soon after the beginning of the war in April 2006, government forces repelled a rebel attack on the capital where hundreds of people are thought to have been killed.

Rebel forces began their advance on N'Djamena from near the eastern border with Sudan, in a column of 300 vehicles, each capable of carrying between 10 and 15 men. On January 30, 2008 rebels seized a strategically important town in the central region of Batha, about 400 km (250 mi) from the capital, N'Djamena. Army patrols were subsequently increased in N'Djamena in case the rebels tried to move on the capital.

Chad's military said on February 1 2008 that it defeated the opposition fighters in Massaguet, which lies about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of the capital. Ahmad Allam-Mi, Chad's foreign minister, said that the opposition alliance had been prevented from reaching N'Djamena. "The rebels were defeated after serious clashes, the capital is calm and under control," he said on the sidelines of an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, Timan Erdimi, one of the leaders in the opposition alliance said his fighters defeated the military.

Amid the increasing tensions, France sent a combat unit of 126 extra troops into Chad, joining 1,100 already stationed there.

The Battle

2 February 2008: Battle in the city

Smoke rising from the presidential palace or close by

On February 2, Chadian rebels reportedly entered N'Djamena around 07:00 am and were heading for the presidential palace. Eyewitnesses reported seeing rebel activity in the south and east of N'Djamena, with fighting later spreading to the area around the presidential palace. Smoke rose from the city and it shook from artillery. One resident of a western embassy told Reuters: "Rebels are headed for the palace and are about two blocks from here. The rebels are winning". The residence of the Saudi ambassador was hit by a bomb during the fighting, which led to the death of the wife and daughter of one of the embassy staff. Rebels in 15 vehicles drove past the Libya Hotel, which overlooks the parliament building, a few hours after the start of the battle. Fighting was reported to have died down by 12:45 pm, with the state radio station going off air around the same time.

A witness in the city told the BBC that 30 army tanks were set on fire, the town was under the rebels' control and they were firing into the air in celebration.

Later a military source confirmed that the rebels had taken control of the outlying neighborhoods of the capital and a good part of the city center after intense fighting with government forces. Rebel command reported they had the presidential palace surrounded, with the president inside, and they were planning to attack the palace later in the evening. Government troops were surrounding the presidential palace and using heavy weapons against the rebels.

Just before dusk government troops made an attempt to push the rebels back in the east of the city and take back some territory in the city center. However, the gains made by the military were reported to be small. The fighting during the day was so intense that at one point even French soldiers got involved when they exchanged fire with unknown gunmen while protecting one of the hotels that house hundreds of foreign nationals. Two French soldiers were slightly injured. In some parts of the city the rebels were greeted by cheering civilians.

JANA, Libya's official news agency, reported on February 2 that Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi had persuaded Nouri to end the fighting. This was denied by a rebel spokesman.

3 February 2008: Continued fighting and rebel withdrawal

File:French armored vehicle in N'Djamena.jpg

A French VAB passes by a burned-out technical during the street fighting in N'Djamena

Witnesses reported hearing anti-tank and automatic weapons fire coming from the city centre, at around 05:00 am. The Chadian army chief of staff, Daoud Soumain, was killed in combat during the rebel advance on the capital.

Government helicopters attacked a column of rebels in the south of the city heading towards the main radio station. The helicopters bombed the rebels who, armed with pickup trucks mounted with cannon and machine guns, fought tanks and foot soldiers in a bid to dislodge the president from his heavily-defended palace in the west of the city. Reuters reported that the city was divided in two, with the rebels controlling the southwest. Running out of ammunition, government troops gave up the defense of the main radio station; after the rebels departed the scene, the building was looted and set on fire. Reports also say that a government helicopter that was chasing rebels hit the main market with a missile, setting off another round of looting and burning.

Late on February 3, rebels said they had withdrawn temporarily from N'Djamena to give civilians time to leave the city before they launch a new offensive. The government said it pushed the rebels out of the city and the battle was over.

4 February 2008: Residents flee

Thousands of residents flooded out of the city, many Chadians crossing the border into neighbouring Cameroon and foreign nationals leaving on French military flights. The French assumed the rebels would attack again and continued to evacuate foreigners. Meanwhile, a large column from the Justice and Equality Movement, a Darfur rebel group, was racing toward N'Djamena to attack the Chadian rebels; the rebels said they had pulled back from the city to face this threat. Sudan's official news agency reported that Mohamed Abdallah, commander of the Justice and Equality Movement, was killed in these clashes with rebels outside the city.

Later on the day, there were reports of renewed fighting, as rebels returned to the city, but that was soon ended by a rebel declaration of a cease-fire.

5 February 2008: Ceasefire

Rebel spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah said that "the suffering of the Chadian people" had led them to agree to a cease-fire and that they had done so "in line with the peace initiatives of fraternal countries Libya and Burkina Faso". He also called for "a non-exclusive national dialogue with a view to a peaceful resolution of the Chadian conflict". Prime Minister Delwa Kassire Koumakoye, claiming victory, was dismissive of the rebel declaration of a cease-fire, saying that the government had no one to sign a cease-fire with because the rebels "don't exist anymore ... We've got them under control."

The rebels remained at the fringe of the city on 5 February, claiming they could easily take the city if the French soldiers had not been present. There was still sporadic shooting outside the city, but N'Djamena was calm.

6 February 2008: Rebels leave

Chadian attack helicopters were bombing rebel positions outside the city on 6 February. The government said it would chase the rebels who withdrew on 200 technicals. There was still widespread looting in N'Djamena.

After meeting with the French Minister of Defense, Hervé Morin, Déby, who was in uniform, spoke at a press conference for the first time since the battle began. He said that his forces had defeated the rebels, who he called "mercenaries directed by Sudan", and that his forces were in "total control" of the city as well as the whole country. According to Déby, however, he did not know the whereabouts of three-fourths of the members of his government, and he said that the issue of "traitors" would be dealt with "when the time comes". Morin said that a rebel "column of support" was coming, but slowly.

Casualties

No confirmed numbers of dead were reported, but people on the ground reported seeing bodies lying in the city streets. Aid agency MSF said on 3 February there were "a lot of dead bodies" in the city, and that 300 people were being treated in hospitals. Red Cross officials spoke on February 5 of "hundreds" of civilians killed in the fighting, and over a thousand wounded. Corpses of more than 10 military and civilian victims were sprawled across Avenue Mobutu, a main thoroughfare. The charred hulks of two tanks and several pickup trucks, used by both sides in the fighting, littered the streets.300,000 of the 700,000 inhabitants had fled their homes during the battle, according to World Vision.

French involvement

French soldiers guarding a hotel with a M2 machine gun

French soldiers evacuated hundreds of French citizens and other foreigners to Libreville in Gabon, while hundreds more came under French military protection at five assembly points N'Djamena. This included 103 UN aid workers, from 150 that have left in total. According to the French military, they evacuated 580 foreign nationals by 3 February, leaving 320 to be airlifted by 4 February. France also volunteered to evacuate President Déby, but that offer was rejected.

There was a brief exchange of fire on 2 February between rebels and French soldiers guarding the international airport, which was used by the French to evacuate people but also housed four Chadian army helicopters. French Mirage F1 fighters conducted reconnaissance flights over rebel positions, but by February 3 all six aircraft operating from N'Djamena were moved to Libreville for safety. On 4 February two Mirage fighters returned and continued reconnaissance flights. Some rebels accused these planes of opening fire, though those reports were unconfirmed. France denied having taken part of any combat during the battle.

On February 5 President Sarkozy said that the French would be ready to intervene militarily if need be.

Reactions

• French President Nicolas Sarkozy held a meeting to discuss the crisis late on February 1 with senior ministers and military figures. The French Foreign Ministry condemned the attempt to "seize power by force", blaming "armed forces from outside".
• African leaders condemned the opposition alliance's march on N'Djamena at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "The assembly strongly condemns the attacks perpetrated by armed groups against the Chadian government and demands that an immediate end be put to these attacks and resulting bloodshed," the declaration said.
• According to a rebel spokesman, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi proposed a ceasefire to Union of Forces for Democracy leader Mahamat Nouri, who said that he would agree to it if "his two other partners in the rebellion would agree as well."
• United States embassy personnel assisted in evacuation of Americans, and the embassy staff was drawn down to 4, located with the French at the airport.
• United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a ceasefire before a UN emergency meeting in New York. The United Nations Security Council called on all member-states to back the Chadian government.

External links

• In Pictures: Fighting in Chad (BBC)
• Video on YouTube (from Al Jazeera)