The international community should pressure the Government of Chad to engage in an inclusive dialogue with armed and political oppositions and to normalize their relationship with the Government of Sudan and stabilize their borders.

Overview
Chad has been the site of a protracted civil war in which a number of often fragmented rebel movements contin¬ue to launch attacks on towns throughout the east. Due to ongoing violence between the Chadian government and rebel groups based in Sudan, 185,000 eastern Chadians have been internally displaced and approximately 700,000 civilians face daily security threats. In addition to that, Eastern Chad is also host to roughly 250,000 Sudanese refugees from neighboring Darfur.

Current Humanitarian Situation
In September 2007 the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of MINURCAT to eastern Chad and north¬eastern Central African Republic to ensure security within the refugee camps. The resolution also authorized the Eu¬ropean Union to deploy a military force to pro¬vide area security and force protection for the lightly armed UN police. Unfortunately, neither the mandate nor the configuration of the peacekeeping forces adequately ad¬dresses civilian protection needs.
Civilians are continually being displaced by fighting between the government and rebel groups. Children are particularly vulnerable to recruitment and forced labor as members of militia and armed groups trespass into refugee camps, IDP sites, and host communities. Surprisingly, these armed factions do not represent the most immediate threat to civilians. Rather, bandit groups, which sometimes involve local authorities, the Chadian military, and moonlighting police or gendarmerie, act with almost complete impunity. They have been responsible for chronic car-jackings and the violent looting throughout the east.

Action Needed

• The Special Representative of the Secretary General in conjunction with UNICEF should strengthen the monitoring system of reporting on the recruitment of child soldiers and develop a clear and comprehensive strategy to ensure government compliance to its commitment to end child recruitment in eastern Chad.
• The US and other international donors should provide adequate three- to five-year funding for longer term early recovery projects, in order to fill immediate service and infrastructure gaps while contributing to long-term development.
• Support the UN Secretary General’s request for a stronger, broader MINURCAT mandate that will encompass UN Civilian police, and Chadian justice sector and governance reform.