Could there be a war between Chad and Sudan

ROCK45

New Member
Is it possible for an all out war between these two countries or would outside pressure end it? If such a war would to breakout and say Sudan's forces were starting to lose would Chinese forces intervened to protect there investment? I posted a youtube link showing Chinese supplied tanks and mechanized equipment in another thread but was wondering does Chad have such equipment?

I found this today
Chad rebels say destroyed army helicopter gunship
Sun 20 Jan 2008, 8:57 GMT
[-] Text [+]

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's rebels said on Saturday they had shot down an army helicopter gunship which attacked their positions in the east of the landlocked central African country, near the border with Sudan's Darfur region.

The rebel Alliance for National Resistance (ANR), one of several groups of insurgents operating along the Sudanese border, said in a statement it had destroyed the Russian-made MI-24 helicopter near the village of Beda this week using a SAM-7 short-range, ground-to-air missile.

Full story
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN032261.html
 

JHC

New Member
Well, EU will send a peacekeeping force to Chad, and if Sudan attacks Chad, EU would most likely send one of there battlegroups until more troops could arrive to ensure peace. And if EU is there ill doubt that China will intervene. But we should not forget about Kenya, we have a possible conflict there that might need peacekeeping forces to.

edit: read the story and about the rebels might attack EU forces, i dont think that EU will draw back there forces, more likely to reinforce them, since this is one of the first EU only operations. And a withdrawal here maybe would cause members to doubt a the way EU is going with the international politics and military politics.
 

ROCK45

New Member
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Region

I know really little detail about this area is it possible to get who against who and who's who allied? Sorry for the basic question but I'm trying to learn the players involved, thanks.
 

kato

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
I know really little detail about this area is it possible to get who against who and who's who allied?
Bit complicated.

There are a number of rebel groups in Chad operating primarily in the East. The primary group is the "United Front for Democratic Change", an alliance of eight separate rebel groups fighting separately until late 2006.
The Chadian government says these operate from bases in Darfur, and iirc has claimed before that the Sudanese government at least silently supports them. This claim has been refuted by the rebels. There is supposedly some limited connection with the Janjaweed (see below).

Another group in the area is the "Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan", which primarily fights the Sudanese government in Darfur. This group is semi-supported (silently) by the Chadian government.

Also involved is France, which is allied with the Chadian government, and has something like 1,500 soldiers there - that is before and EU deployment. France pretty much has been heavily involved in the country (again) since the war between Chad and Lybia in the 80s.
The French forces in Chad actively participate in the government's campaign against the ANR, including via air strikes, military advisors, and recon forces on the ground.

The Sudanese government is allied to some limited extent with China. This due to heavy involvement of Chinese companies in prospective oil fields in central and South Sudan. China has delivered a considerable amount of military aid to Sudan, and supposedly has about 500 troops stationed in Sudan. Iirc there's also some involvement of the Chinese in Sudanese dam projects, particularly on the Nile.
Sudan itself is effectively split into three regions nowadays, with the separatist South being fully autonomous now after the settlement of a very bloody civil war (that might flare up again btw), and the West (Darfur) ... well, being in the situation its in.

In Darfur, there are also the Janjaweed, heavily backed by the Sudanese government. These occasionally have made cross-border raids into Chad, and are the primary concern. The Janjaweed supposedly originate in Lybian-backed partisans from the Chad-Lybia war.

There is also some involvement of the Central African Republic - mostly due to raiders there occasionally operating from south-west Sudan. The CAR government is primarily stabilized through French forces operating there (a few hundred), and barely has any combat-worthy military forces anyway. Those that they have are busy hunting raiders along with the French troops.

There's also some - very small - area contested between Sudan and Ethiopia, with most of the claims settled in 2003. However, these claims are of course primarily an issue between South Sudan and Ethiopia, and relations with the Sudanese government aren't that bad. Ethiopia, nowadays, is supported by the United States, including by military aid.

At least that's the gist of it, i guess.
 

ROCK45

New Member
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Africa

Thanks kato
Thank you very much for taking the time and giving me a breakdown. I added a post to some Yemen thread, a link to a article stating that are around 4,000 Chinese troops in Sudan now. And a youtube clip of Chinese armor and more. I'll attach a link.
http://www.defencetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5942
Let me know what you think of the youtube.
 

ju87

New Member
Well, EU will send a peacekeeping force to Chad, and if Sudan attacks Chad, EU would most likely send one of there battlegroups until more troops could arrive to ensure peace. And if EU is there ill doubt that China will intervene. But we should not forget about Kenya, we have a possible conflict there that might need peacekeeping forces to.

edit: read the story and about the rebels might attack EU forces, i dont think that EU will draw back there forces, more likely to reinforce them, since this is one of the first EU only operations. And a withdrawal here maybe would cause members to doubt a the way EU is going with the international politics and military politics.
Would EU be willing to play an active military role in Chad? Eurocrat politicians usually seem very anti-war. And, humanitarian reasons aside, the area is hardly of strategic importance.
 

JHC

New Member
No maybe it is not of strategic impotence. But is´t that whats great, i dont think EU will start wars like Iraq so we can secure strategic positions, thats the thing with EU, we want to help others to develop a democracy without having any own benefits in the countries. I think the "new" EU wants to stand for human right, for common welfare and world peace. And with military interventions as the last resort. With a goal like that i think that that the inhibitors both in EU and the AO would agree that its a war that means something. And hopefully a force with such goals wont face resistance from anyone more then the once EU tries to get rid of, and not the people of a hole continent like US and the middle east.
 
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