Sudan is well known for its terrible human rights record, internecine civil strife and also, for being an international haven for terrorism. While an increase in Sudanese oil exports has pushed up the economy (GDP growth close to 7% in 2005), the nation remains one of the most backward countries of the world. Surprisingly then, far from seeking to control the internal conflagration between the north and south regions, or reigning in the Janjaweed terrorists in the trouble torn Darfur, Sudan is engaged in continued conflict against neighbouring Chad.
Sudan’s predominantly Muslim north remains pitched against the Christian south; and even after the supposed end of the Second Sudanese Civil war (in 2005), the eastern region of Darfur has been on a boil – Chad houses close to 200,000 refugees from Darfur. Janzaweed terrorists, who have caused one of the worst genocides in human history, have allegedly got all assistance from the Khartoum government. Chad, in this complexity, has been accused of supporting the rivals of Janjaweeds. The Sudan-Chad conflict, which ‘officially’ began in 2005, has been thus an aftermath of their deep distrust.
Chad now bears the brunt of Sudanese supported Chadian rebels. The recent systematic air raids (March, 2007) carried out in the eastern Chad region – on the cities of Teney and Bihi – by the Sudanese Air Force providing clear evidence of Sudan’s malignant intentions. While the bombing has certainly blown to pieces any attempt to bring normalcy in the region, Sudan, the 10th largest country of the world, remains fragmented. How ironic it is that a country that could have been the true jewel of the Nile has now meandered to be branded a haven for Islamic terrorists.