Tchad
Tchad has had a simply awful period.

The civil war continues unabated and the conflict in Sudan has spilled over into the eastern part of Tchad and fighting has also been reported in the border areas with the Central African Republic to the south.

After the capture of Abeche late last year and its recovery by the government, no major towns have apparently fallen to the rebels, but a number of smaller twins have changed hands near the Sudan-Tchad frontier and there have been numerous incursions and battles, on both sides of the frontier, in one of which, a number of the rebels defected and joined the Tchad government following a military setback.

Despite Sudan’s claims to the contrary, there have been no confirmed penetrations by the Tchad military into Sudan. The relations between these two countries are as changeable as the weather. Every outburst of fighting leads to a series of bitter exchanges, followed by a reconciliation, sometimes facilitated by the Libyan leader, who also has played an ongoing, if unsuccessful role, in reconciliation between the internal rebel groups and the Tchad government.

The participation of the French in support of the government has continued, with numerous reports of French aircraft doing reconnaissance for the Tchad army. No reports of their use in combat have emerged, but there have been several reports of French group troops being observed in eastern Tchad. In addition there have been no recent reports of any aircraft losses, and follow up details on these losses last year are lacking.

In the north a rebel group which was not part of the MDJT group, which is active in the Tibesti, was reported to have taken Ounianga Kebir, on the road to Libya and Kufra, but it was apparently retaken later by government forces.

Further south, in late February, another rebel group claimed to have taken Fada, the main town in the Ennedi for a period. This town is significant in that it is President Idriss Deby’s home town, to which he retreated for a short period last year. It appears from some reports that attacks on this town are increasingly common.

Up in the far north, the town of Bardaia, despite reports, still seems to be held by the government but a splinter group of the MDJT was reported to have attacked Zouarate.

The government at one time early this year seemed to be requesting UN troops and US aid in fighting the rebels, but has recently backed off, and now only wants the UN as a police force. This mirrors the position held by Sudan.

Support from China has increased after the breaking of relations with Taiwan last year, and the flow on funds from the oil has continued with a resolution, if not a complete resolution, of the dispute with the World Bank last year.

In February the prime minister of Tchad became ill and was flown to Paris where he died.

Le Para
In February, reports came in from Algeria that Amari Saifi called ‘Abderrazak Al-Para’, founder of Tarek-ibn-Ziad Brigade of the GSPC in eastern Algeria, is to be tried on March 18th, along with six other defendants.

Abderrazak al-Para, commonly known as ‘Le Para’, has been detained since he was handed over by Libyan authorities by the MDJT in October 2004, after his capture in the Tibesti under somewhat curious circumstances.

He was reportedly responsible for the kidnapping of 32 European tourists, most of whom Germans, in Algerian Sahara, in 2003.

Niger
After a couple of years without any significant reports of rebel activity, Niger this winter has had almost without warning, several incidents.

The first incident, was the incident reported in the last issue, namely the kidnapping of the Italian group in the far south east of Tchad, by bandits claiming to be rebels who came over from the Tchad side of the frontier. The last two hostages were eventually returned via Libya.

Then, over the Christmas period, there was a report of a French group being waylaid east of Temet in the eastern Aïr, (an area the author visited in early December, when it was completely quiet), followed by a report that the Belgian ambassador’s convoy had been attacked in the Aïr, and then yet another incident on the Agadez-Arlit road in January.

In addition further to the east on the other side of the Ténéré, there was a most curious incident near Seguedine, on the road to Libya when a convoy of vehicles was kidnapped and held to ransom. It was reportedly surrounded by troops, and at least one truck broke out and disappeared. The outcome of the incident was never reported, and it was not clear if they were the normal trucks with ‘sans papiers’, or trucks containing cigarettes, or some form of rebels.

Finally in February a revolt unexpectedly broke out in the Aïr, with an assault by a small number of rebels on the small town of Iferouane, in which at least three people were killed, but the town was not taken.
Accounts vary of this battle, but it appears that despite the small number of troops involved the incident was not just with light grade weapons, and was not an isolated incident. However, it is clear that it is not a widespread revolt, as occurred in the mid 90s.

Then, in early March, an incident was reported near Ourane where following another incident on the Arlit-Agades road, where several people were kidnapped, Niger forces engaged a group, presumed to be of the same rebels, and killed at least five. Details vary between published accounts.

Some reports indicated some possible form of Libyan involvement in this (and potentially the Mali revolt, see below) but these reports have never been confirmed.

On the commercial side, some reports have been published on the results of the Chinese oil survey in the Ténéré. It appears that, yet again, small quantities of oil have been found but not in commercial quantities. This time water pollution appears to be a problem. Oil companies have been searching Niger for oil for at least 30 years and so far none have found commercial deposits.

On the uranium ‘front’ the price of uranium, whilst not at peak, remains high and should prove to improve the revenue of Niger as a whole.
In Bilma in the east of Niger, there are reports that the widespread destruction of property by the exceptional rains last year has still not been repaired and that numerous people are still living in temporary shelters.

Mali
Unlike Niger and Tchad, The situation in Mali has become quieter over the last period.

Despite the lack of a final settlement of the Mali Toureg rebels dispute, as reported in the last issue, the ‘Festival du Chameau’ appears to have been a success in Tessalit in north Eastern Mali, in January of this year.

There was a report of an incursion by Niger troops into Mali near Tin Zaouten, just to the east of Tessalit. This appears to have been an isolated incident, and did not lead to a major issue between the two countries.

In early February, after failing in December to get a agreement between the rebels and the Mali government, yet another peace deal was brokered in Algiers at which the rebels agreed to disarm against certain conditions. Previous deals brokered in Algiers had collapsed reportedly because the Mali government did not honor these deals, though press reports vary. The Algerian government has been an ongoing partner in these negotiations and is clearly keen to get a permanent settlement.

Finally, in late February, the Mali government and the rebels agreed to form units to chase GSPC units from their northern territory. It will be recalled that last year there was a fight between the rebels and this group, which established the Mali rebel group’s credentials as a non-Islamic group and prompted reports of support from both the Algerian and the United States.

There has been a lot of speculation about potential Libyan involvement in the Mali revolt, but reports vary.

In January, in Paris, another shipment of archaeological artifacts taken out of Mali was seized by the French authorities.

In early March, Merrex Gold Inc., a Canadian company, announced very positive results from some test gold surveys it had undertaken in western Mali.

In Libya the sad story of the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor sentenced to death continues. At their second trial the nurses and doctor, accused of murdering 426 Libyan children with the HIV virus, were again found guilty and again condemned to death. However, a plan to release them is being put in place. Seif al Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya’s President, has said, ‘We are proposing a road map with solutions (satisfying) all parties; the parents, the Libyan government, the Bulgarian side and the EU.’ The plan involves ‘substantial compensation for the families of the dead children,’ and the release from Scottish prison of Abdelbaset al Mohamed al Megrahi, who was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing. Mr Gaddafi is said to have discussed this with the foreign ministers of France and Germany, but no-one knows if he has spoken to the British or Americans.

At the beginning of February a Bulgarian senior prosecutor said charges would be brought within four months against eleven Libyan police officers for allegedly torturing the five Bulgarian nurses now under sentence of death. In 2005 nine of these officers stood trial in Libya on the same charge and were acquitted. In response the nurses were charged with slander and questioning was due to begin in February this year.

Sidi Ahmed Taya was ousted in a military coup in Mauritania in 2005, but his allies have united to back a presidential candidate, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, in the elections in March. Mr Abdallahi is an independent and seen as favourite to win, as leaders of the military junta which seized power are not seeking re-election.

In Morocco eight Islamists have been gaoled for up to ten years for plotting attacks and being members of Al Qaeda. One of them, Ben Moujane Mohamed, had been captured by the US military and sent to Guantanamo. He was handed to Moroccan authorities in January 2006.
An underwater tunnel to link Morocco with Spain could be planned and built by 2025. Geological tests and consideration of the depth of the water suggest that the best route, from Cape Malabata in Morocco to Punta Paloma in Spain, will not be the shortest but the safest for the project. As yet there has been no final approval of the proposal.

President Chirac commended as ‘constructive’ Morocco’s recent plan to grant self-rule to Western Sahara, but Saharawi foreign minister Mohamed Salen Ould Salek declared it null and void. The plan is due to go before the UN in April. It rests on ‘three axes ... the sovereignty of Morocco ... the social and cultural characteristics of the region and international criteria for autonomy.’ Mr Salek warned that (his) ‘people are going to resist, fight and campaign against it until they get full satisfaction for their right to self-determination, whatever the cost.’

The only news from Algeria and Tunisia is football; who’s played whom, who’s beaten whom, who’s been transferred, who’s going to be transferred and who’s on the transfer list. Much more interesting to me, although it’s really Christer’s area, is that Timbuktu is now twinned with Hay-on Wye. Fifty British towns and cities entered a competition launched by the Cultural Mission of Timbuktu after a poll showed that 66% of Britons (who are obviously not members of 153) believed Timbuktu was a mythical city. So maybe we can look forward to shared literary festivals, book sales and a new area of scholarship between the two centres.

P.S. Amari Saifi called Abderrazak Al-Para, founder of Tarek-ibn-Ziad Brigade in eastern Algeria (Tebessa), is to be tried on March 18th, along with six other defendants, for being member of armed terrorist group spreading terror among the population, and for creating insecurity through moral and physical attacks on people jeopardizing their lives and security, looting, burning, kidnapping and possessing arms and ammunition. Abderrazak al-Para has been detained since he was handed over by Libyan authorities, in October 2004. He was responsible for the kidnapping of 32 European tourists, most of whom Germans, in Algerian Sahara, in 2003.