The Battle of N'Djamena began on February 2, 2008, when Chadian rebel forces opposed to Chadian President Idriss Déby entered N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, after a three-day advance through the country. The rebels were initially successful, taking a large part of the city and attacking the heavily defended presidential palace. They did not capture the palace, and after two days of fighting they withdrew to outside the city. Around two days later they retreated east.

The assault on the capital was part of a longer military campaign to unseat the Chadian president. The array of rebels fighting against the government shifted during the war: this attack involved approximately 2,000 men from the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development, the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development-Fundamental and the Rally of Democratic Forces. Several non-rebel opposition leaders were arrested by the government.

Hundreds died in the battle, which displaced at least 30,000. French forces evacuated foreigners, but also provided intelligence and ammunition for the Chadian National Army and sporadically exchanged fire with rebels. Soldiers from the Justice and Equality Movement, a Darfur-based ally of the Chadian government, reportedly took part in the battle, but many more fought in the east of Chad, preventing rebel reinforcements from reaching the city.

Background

In April 2006, soon after the beginning of the civil war in Chad, government forces repelled a rebel attack on the capital in which hundreds of people were killed; the rebels responsible for the attack, the United Front for Democratic Change (FUC) led by Mohammed Nour Abdelkerim, rallied to the government in December.K. al-Deeb, "Chad, Rebel Group Pledge to End Fighting", AP (The Washington Post), December 24, 2006. Many FUC soldiers resisted integration into the Chadian National Army, and instead joined other rebel groups such as the newly emerged Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), founded in October 2006, and led by Mahamat Nouri"Echo effects: Chadian instability and the Darfur conflict", Sudan Issue Brief 9, Small Arms Survey, February 2008.Chad: Leadership of the United Front for Democratic Change (Front uni pour le changement, FUC) in 2005-2006; the signatories to the peace agreement with the government; the positions they were offered in the government; FUC members who joined splinter groups, also known as the United Front for Change (FUC), Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, April 29, 2009, TCD103079.FE. Accessed February 27, 2011.

In the summer and autumn of 2007 extensive peace talks were held in Tripoli through Libyan mediation among the Chadian government and the four main rebel groups, that is the UFDD, the Gathering of Forces for Change (RFC), the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development-Fundamental (UFDD-F) and the Chadian National Concord (CNT). Eventually the negotiations resulted in a peace agreement signed on October 25, 2007, in Sirte, in the presence of the President Idriss Déby, the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. As part of the deal, the rebels and the government agreed to an immediate ceasefire, a general amnesty and the right for the rebels to join the military and form political parties."Libya seals peace deal for Chad", BBC News, October 26, 2008.

In November 2007 the peace agreement collapsed and war resumed. While the CNT rallied to the government, the other signatories at Sirte decided to counter Déby by reaching a major level of military integration. Thus on December 13, 2007, the UFDD, the UFDD-F and the RFC announced the creation a Unified Military Command with a collegial leadership."Les rebelles de l'Est se réorganisent", RFI, January 3, 2008. The UFDD could count at this moment on 2,000-3,000 men, while the allied RFC had around 800 troops and the UFDD-F 500 troops."Will embattled Chad recover from rampant factions?" , Apanews, 7-12-2007.

Rebel advance toward N'Djamena List of abbreviations used in this article UFDD: Union of Forces for Democracy and Development UFDD-F: Union of Forces for Democracy and Development-Fundamental RFC: Rally of Democratic Forces JEM: Justice and Equality Movement MSF: Médecins Sans Frontières OCHA: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UN: United Nations

The rebels began their advance on N'Djamena from the eastern border with Sudan, more than of desert terrain away from N'Djamena.Q&A: Chad rebellion, BBC News, February 3, 2008. They moved in a column of 250 to 300 vehicles, each capable of carrying between 10 and 15 men. On January 30, 2008, rebel forces captured Oum Hadjer, a town centrally located in the Batha region, about from the capital.

Soldiers from the Justice and Equality Movement, a Darfur rebel group, arrived in N'Djamena to reinforce the government side in late January, and army patrols in the city were increased in preparation for a rebel attack.

Amid increasing tensions, France sent a combat unit of 126 extra troops into Chad, joining 1,100 already stationed there."Fighting reaches Chadian capital", Al Jazeera, February 2, 2008. 54 Irish soldiers were to land in N'Djamena as a forward troop of the European Union force meant to protect the refugee camps in eastern Chad, but this flight was postponed as the rebel advanced toward the capital.France sends more troops to Chad, Associated Press (Yahoo News), February 1, 2008. 14 Austrian soldiers arrived in N'Djamena on January 31, 2008, as part of the same force and got trapped in the city.Austrian Troops in Chad , Austrian Armed Forces February 2008.

The rebels clashed with government forces, led by President Déby personally, at Massaguet, northeast of N'Djamena on February 1. The fighting was described as very violent."Rebels close in on N'Djamena", France24, February 2, 2008. During the battle the rebels were able to locate and focus fire on President Déby's armoured car. His army chief of staff, Daoud Soumain, was killed, lowering morale. The government forces retreated to the capital.

Battle

February 2: Battle in the city

Chadian rebels were reported to have entered N'Djamena around 07:00 am on Saturday February 2, 2008, coming from Massaguet. The rebels then split into two columns. One was halted 3 km from the presidential palace, where government tanks fired at it. The other took control of the eastern parts of the city, and then swung towards the presidential palace, where it too was halted by tank fire. Eyewitnesses reported seeing rebel activity in the south and east of N'Djamena, with fighting later spreading to the area around the presidential palace. Smoke rose from the city, which shook from artillery. One resident of a western embassy told Reuters: "Rebels are headed for the palace and are about two blocks from here. The rebels are winning".Rebels fight inside Chad’s capital: sources Al Arabiya, February 2, 2008."Chad rebels fight inside capital", BBC News, February 2, 2008. The residence of the Saudi ambassador was hit by a bomb during the fighting, which led to the death of the wife and daughter of one of the embassy staff. Rebels in 15 vehicles drove past the Libya Hotel, which overlooks the parliament building, a few hours after the start of the battle. Fighting was reported to have died down by 12:45 pm, with the state radio station going off air around the same time."Rebels clash with Chadian forces inside capital", Associated Press (MSNBC), February 2, 2008.

Later a military source confirmed that the rebels had taken control of the outlying neighborhoods of the capital and a good part of the city center after intense fighting with government forces. Rebel command reported they had the presidential palace surrounded, with the president inside, and they were planning to attack the palace later in the evening. Government troops were surrounding the presidential palace and using heavy weapons against the rebels.

Just before dusk government troops made an attempt to push the rebels back in the east of the city and take back some territory in the city center. However, the gains made by the military were reported to be small. The fighting during the day was intense, and at one point French soldiers got involved when they exchanged fire with unknown gunmen while protecting one of the hotels that house hundreds of foreign nationals. Two French soldiers were slightly injured. In some parts of the city the rebels were greeted by cheering civilians.Chad rebels seize large parts of capital, Yahoo News, February 2, 2008.France Ready to Give Chad Military Help, Associated Press, February 6, 2008.

On the same day, JANA, Libya's official news agency, reported that Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi had persuaded Nouri to end the fighting.Libya Says Chad Rebels Agree to Truce , ABC News, February 2, 2008. This was denied by a rebel spokesman.Chad Rebels Fight Troops in Capital, Associated Press (Forbes), February 3, 2008.

February 3: Continued fighting and rebel withdrawal Witnesses reported hearing anti-tank and automatic weapons fire coming from the city centre, at around 05:00 am. Reuters reported that the city was divided in two, with the rebels controlling the southwest.Chad's Deby resists rebel siege, east town attacked, Reuters, February 3, 2008. Running out of ammunition, government troops gave up the defense of the main radio station; after the rebels departed the scene, the building was looted and set on fire. Reports also say that a government helicopter that was chasing rebels hit the main market with a missile, setting off a round of looting that resulted in the market being torched.

Late on February 3, the rebels reported they had temporarily withdrawn from N'Djamena."Chad rebels withdraw 'temporarily'", Al Jazeera, February 3, 2008. The government said it pushed the rebels out of the city and the battle was over.Thousands flee fighting in Chad, BBC News, February 4, 2008.Chadians flee as rebels pull back, Al Jazeera, February 4, 2008.

February 4: Rebels outside the city Thousands of residents fled the city following the rebel withdrawal. The French assumed the rebels would attack again and continued to evacuate foreigners. Later in the day there were reports of renewed fighting as rebels returned to the city,UN condemns Chad rebel attack, Al Jazeera, February 4, 2008. but that was soon ended by a rebel declaration of cease-fire.Chad rebels 'agree' to ceasefire, Al Jazeera, February 5, 2008.

Stalled reinforcements During the battle, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a Darfur rebel group, moved rapidly with a large column (100-200 vehicles, JEM has saidJérôme Tubiana, The Chad–Sudan Proxy War and the ‘Darfurization’ of Chad: Myths and Reality , Small Arms Survey, April 2008, .) toward N'Djamena to fight at the government side; the RFC said they had pulled back from the city to face this threat.U.N. urges support for Chad's government, Reuters, February 4, 2008. Sudan's official news agency stated that Chadian rebels had driven off government reinforcements moving toward the city from southern Chad.Commander of Sudan's rebel movement killed in fighting near N'djamena, People's Daily Online, February 5, 2008. In the east of the country, the JEM fought to stop a force of 2,500 Chadian rebels that were on their way from Sudan to reinforce the troops outside N'Djamena. The Sudanese Air Force supported the Chadian rebels as they fought JEM forces near Adré on February 4. The Chadian rebels were narrowly defeated.Prunier G, Chad: caught in the Darfur crossfire, Le monde diplomatique, March 2008. Media favouring UFDD reported that an RFC column supposed to reinforce the rebel forces at N'Djamena was withdrawn by Timane Erdimi's orders following a leadership dispute with UFDD's leader Mahamat Nouri.Chad: a new conflict resolution framework , International Crisis Group, Africa Report N°144, September 24, 2008.

Aftermath