May 31,2008:
For the last two weeks, the
government has had three armed helicopters (an armed Mi-171 transport
helicopter and two Mi-35 helicopter gunships) operating along the Sudan border. This was to discourage
attacks by Sudan backed rebel groups in the area. Sudan is still accusing Chad
of supporting the May 10th attack on the Sudanese capital. The 1,200
man JEM rebel force lost at least a hundred men killed in the fighting, and
several hundred wounded. But the JEM force was able to retreat, and drive back
to Darfur in over a hundred trucks and smaller vehicles. Someone paid for the
vehicles and heavy weapons, but no one is taking credit. In the past, Libya was
often ready to finance rebel groups, but insists that it has given up that sort
of thing. The most likely other suspect is the Chad government. They deny any
connection. In response to the attack in Sudan, there was an increase in
violence along the border, with small groups of gunmen attacking police and
army patrols.
The normal
violence along the Sudan border continues. Basically, bandits and rebels
continue to raid around the refugee camps and plunder the foreign aid groups. The
European peacekeepers slowly arriving are expected to improve the security
around these camps. That may be all the peacekeepers can do. Since the rebels
and bandits can hide out on the Sudan side of the border, you have to catch
them on the move or in the act. That's why the peacekeepers are so keen on
getting helicopters or UAVs into the area. The Sudan border is 1,300 kilometers
long, and over half of that is alive with these rebels and bandits. It will be
a large scale game of hide and seek, with the bandits having an edge. That's
because the bandits risk death if caught, while the peacekeepers only earn some
frustration if they fail. Thus the bandits are likely to win this one, as they
have the greater motivation.