The clashes, centered on the presidential palace, also forced Christian humanitarian group World Vision to move staff and their families to safe houses and to close its office after it was attacked over the weekend, BosNewsLife learned.
World Vision, which has some 250 staff members in country, said the African nation could turn "from a political crisis to a humanitarian disaster if fighting
does not stop soon."
While reporters in N’djamena said there were no sounds of fighting early Monday, February 4, there were fears clashes could resume between government forces and rebels seeking to overthrow Chadian President Idriss Deby.
REBEL OFFENSIVE
The rebel offensive began last week from bases in Sudan, in what observers described as "a lightning desert march" to the center of the capital, marking the biggest threat to Deby’s rule since he himself took power in a coup in 1990. Rebel leaders, many of them former close allies of the president, say they are fighting for democracy, after Deby changed the constitution to allow unlimited presidential terms, and declared himself the winner of the last poll in 2006, widely viewed as fraudulent, the Voice of America (VOA) network reported.
"We did not expect things to happen this quickly," said World Vision’s Chad Director Levourne Passiri in comments monitored by BosNewsLife. "I fear that the entire capital could be destroyed. There is already much human and economic damage. Many civilians have been killed," he added.
"I live about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the presidential palace, and we can hear the fighting all the time. Soldiers are circulating around the city," reported Passiri, before he and his family were forced to move to a safer location. ""At this point the roads are blocked so we have no possibility of leaving the city. Security at the moment is very difficult," he said in a statement released by World Vision.
NEGOTIATED CEASEFIRE
World Vision said it fears that if a negotiated ceasefire "or a mediated transition of power" are not achieved soon, "this could trigger factional fighting that would displace [more] civilians."
The organization has worked in Chad since 1985 and says it currently serves some 400,000 people. Community development programs are located in central and southern Chad, and focus on health and nutrition, education, HIV/AIDS prevention, water and sanitation, micro loans to poor entrepreneurs, and agricultural improvements to prevent frequent food shortages. (BosNewsLife’s MISSION WATCH is a regular look at challenges facing missionary workers and organizations who are active in difficult and/or dangerous circumstances. With reporting from Chad and BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos. )
