Amnesty International Report 2006 - Chad

Freedom of expression remained under threat, and journalists faced politically motivated and arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention and imprisonment. Thousands of refugees arrived from the Central African Republic. The legal framework governing the construction of an oil pipeline undermined the rights of those living and working in the vicinity.

Background

A new constitution was approved allowing President Déby to stand for re-election by removing the previous two-term limit. It was approved after a referendum in June which was boycotted by the opposition and human rights organizations.

A peace agreement was signed in August between the authorities and the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (Mouvement pour la démocratie et la justice au Tchad, MDJT), one of the Chadian armed opposition groups which had been active in Tibesti, northern Chad. A dissident group of the MDJT rejected the agreement and said that it would carry on fighting.

In October, a group of soldiers including military officers deserted their posts in N'Djaména and fled to the eastern part of the country. The deserters called on President Déby to step down and to free political prisoners. President Déby then dissolved the presidential guard and created a new unit drawn from the army and the police.

In November, the opposition coalition refused to appoint representatives to the electoral commission for the 2006 legislative and presidential elections. The opposition asked for the contested census, which was closed in January, to be reopened.

In September, gunmen on horseback from Sudan attacked the village of Madayouna, eastern Chad. Dozens of people were killed, including villagers and members of the assailant group. In a radio interview, President Déby accused the Janjawid militia group of being behind this attack.

In December the town of Adré, in eastern Chad close to the Sudanese border, was attacked. The Rally for Democracy and Liberty (Rassemblement pour la démocratie et la liberté, RDL), a new armed opposition group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The Chadian authorities blamed Sudan which denied any involvement in the attack.

Refugees

Around 200,000 Sudanese refugees remained in Chad, nearly half of them living in the south-eastern region of Goz-Beida. Thousands of refugees fleeing human rights abuses in the Central African Republic arrived in Chad.

Freedom of expression under attack

Freedom of expression came under attack throughout 2005. Journalists faced politically motivated and arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention and imprisonment. Between July and September, at least four journalists were sentenced to prison terms. They were released in September on appeal.

In July, Samory Ngaradoumbé, El Hadj Garonde Djarma and Koumbo Singa Gali of the weekly L'Observateur were sentenced to prison terms after the publication of articles critical of the authorities. Samory Ngaradoumbé was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and a fine after his newspaper published an open letter asking President Déby to release prisoners. Garonde Djarma was sentenced to three years' imprisonment after he criticized the constitutional amendment allowing President Déby to stand for re-election. Koumbo Singa Gali was sentenced to one year's imprisonment after her newspaper published an interview with imprisoned journalist Garonde Djarma.

In August, Michael Didama, editor of the weekly Le Temps, was convicted on charges of defamation and incitement to hatred after the publication of articles on the activities of armed opposition groups in eastern Chad. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment.

In September the N'Ddjaména Court of Appeal overturned the convictions of Garonde Djarma and Koumbo Singa Gali because of procedural irregularities. The court also overturned the conviction of Samory Ngaradoumbé. Michael Didama's conviction was upheld but his sentence was reduced to the time he had already served. All the journalists were freed.

Impunity

In August, the authorities dismissed at least six people who had served under deposed President Hissène Habré. It was unclear whether any formal charges were brought against people suspected of committing human rights violations.

Few steps were taken to bring Hissène Habré to justice for human rights violations committed during his time in power. In November, the Dakar Appeal Court in Senegal declared itself "not competent" to rule on whether to issue an order for Hissène Habré's extradition to Belgium. In a press interview, President Déby appealed to the Senegalese President to extradite Hissène Habré (see Senegal entry).

Chad-Cameroon pipeline

In September, AI published a report on the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project, a World Bank supported project. The report detailed concerns that contracts signed between the governments of Chad and Cameroon and an Exxon Mobil-led oil company consortium undermined the ability of Chad and Cameroon to fulfil their obligations under international human rights law. The report said that the contracts created risks for all human rights, ranging from civil and political to economic, social and cultural rights. For example, some clauses in the contracts made it difficult or impossible for Chad to regulate the activities of the oil consortium, including to protect the safety and health of workers or the rights to food and water for people living near the oil development areas. AI called for the contracts underpinning this project to be amended to guard against the risks to human rights. AI also urged project lenders to institute policies to ensure that such contracts would not obtain funding in the future.

In November, the authorities substantially modified the Revenue Management Law, which governs the proceeds of the pipeline project. This law originally sought to ensure that revenue from the project was used for the benefit of local populations, through health and education spending for example, and for future generations. The government's amendment would allow revenues to be diverted to military and security spending. In December the President of the World Bank expressed serious concerns about the proposed amendment to the Revenue Management Law.