Battle for Ati
| date | May 19, 1978 to May 20, 1978 |
|---|---|
| place |
Ati 
|
| output | Withdrawal of the FAP with high losses |
| Territorial changes | Chadian forces regain control of areas in central Chad |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| losses | |
|
2000 |
|
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The battle for Ati was a decisive battle in the Libyan-Chad border war between a coalition of rebel groups and the Libyan armed forces , as well as the Chadian army , supported by French units.
prehistory
In 1978 the most important pro-Libyan rebel group, the FAP , led an offensive against Chadian positions in northern Chad under Goukouni Oueddei . They were supported by Libyan armed forces, as Libya under the ruler Gaddafi endeavored to bring northern Chad under his control. After the battle of Faya-Largeau and other military successes, Oueddei was strengthened and marched with his troops to the southern capital N'djamena . In view of this threat, French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing decided to send troops, including from the French Foreign Legion , to Chad to at least prevent the fall of the capital against the rapidly advancing FAP. The 2500 French soldiers, together with the Chadian armed forces, formed a line of defense from Salal and Ati to Abeche and Arada, roughly at the 15th parallel .
course
On May 19, 1978, the fast advancing FAP fighters attacked the Ati garrison, which had been reinforced by French troops shortly before. In the two-day battle that followed, the FAP suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw to the occupied territories in northern Chad with a record of 2,000 deaths near Ati. This averted a threat to the areas in southern and central Chad for the time being.
Individual evidence
- ↑ "He is a bully, but also a rabbit's foot" . In: Der Spiegel . tape 33 , August 15, 1983 ( spiegel.de [accessed May 19, 2018]).
- ↑ Libya's defeat in Chad: Two blows for Ghaddafi . In: ZEIT ONLINE . ( zeit.de [accessed on May 19, 2018]).
- ↑ Clifford D. May: LIBYAN PLANES ARE REPORTED TO BOMB CHAD TOWN . ( nytimes.com [accessed May 19, 2018]).
- ^ History (Chad) . ISBN 978-1-159-01892-4 .