The Sounds of War

Written on 14 April 2006...

Yesterday for the first time in my life, I heard the sounds of war. From just outside my front door within the walls surrounding my house, I could here shelling and gunfire coming from the northern part of N’Djamena, probably 1-2 miles from where I sat. My UN-issued radio in hand and my house guard by my side I tried to picture how this was going to affect Chad and its people.

The last few days have passed almost too quickly to digest. Who would have thought that last night I would be evacuated from N’Djamena, Chad with 150 other UN staff and their families? Now, I sit in a comfortable hotel in the neighboring country of Cameroon in the capital Yaoundé telling my story.

For months, there has been talk of the rebel group le Front d’Unité pour la Changement Démocratique (FUC) – the acronym being pronounced in a French way (fouk) for obvious reasons! They were formerly known as SCUD. Either we are not dealing with English-speaking rebels, or they have an interesting sense of humor!

The talk of rebels has led to a very tense situation for months. Many Chadian military have fled the army to join the rebels and their cause – to overthrow the president of Chad, a country that was recently rated as the most corrupt in the world, and recently saw the departure of the World Bank.

So, after months of preparation, the rebels advanced – several hundred miles from the Sudanese border to the capital of N’Djamena in a couple of days. On Wednesday night, the international community began to realize the gravity of the situation. At 6:00 PM, I received an SMS message from our security officer instructing me to prepare 15 kg – I was being “temporarily relocated.” Actually, the term “evacuation” is not appropriate because we will be available to return if and when the situation improves.

So, on Wednesday evening, I prepared my bags. Chad had become the top story on BBC and the French radio RFI. The rebels were reportedly 80 km outside of the town and ready to attack. I was ready to go the next morning.

At 6 AM, I was awakened by a friend to tell me that the Chadian rebels had arrived in N’Djamena. You wouldn’t think that I would be surprised, but you don’t really expect it to really happen – and so very quickly, the events had unfolded.

At 6:30 AM, the sounds of war began. Listening to the UN radio security frequency, I was trying to understand what was taking place. UN staff from around the city called in to explain what they saw. Every few minutes, I peeked through the sliding window in my front gate and was assured by the Chadian population – men, women, and children – standing outside their homes also trying to comprehend the situation. Please note, this is Africa – people are usually outside their homes during the day, so it wasn’t unusual that they were outside. I told my guard “Emmanuel, if you see those people run, we are running in the house and locking the door!” Fortunately, the people did not run as this seemed to be a purely a military conflict.

At 9 AM, it became quiet except the occasional gunshots. I was convinced that there had been a coup d’état. In recent months, support for the president has been eroding. And so, I was surprised when it was announced on BBC and RFI that the Chadian army had crushed the rebels. Looking through my little window, indeed, soldiers of the Chadian army were proudly patrolling the streets.

Things then stalled for many hours. The situation had calmed down significantly. Cars, motorcycles, people traveling up and down the street. Things seemed to be getting back to normal. Perhaps this is not unusual for a nation that has seen so much fighting in its short history.

By 2 PM, I was wondering if we were really leaving and being “temporarily relocated” as planned. Perhaps, I was going to be spending my Friday morning in the same manner. However, I think it was around 3 PM, the WFP car came for me and all of my 15 kg. And so, to the airport we went to join WFP staff, as well as other UN-agency staff.

We waited a long time at the airport. A Boeing 727 had been summoned from WFP operations in Kinshasa to collect us. The late notice meant that they had a lot of work to do to get a plane of this size to get to us in time. Fortunately, at 8 PM we were all boarded for the 1 hour 30 minute flight.

When we arrived at 9:30 PM, many of the UN officials from the different agencies were here to greet us and support us. I have to say, it was very impressive and I did not at all expect the warm welcome that we received. I was even interviewed on our arrival by RFI, but apparently they chose not to air the story – I mean, how exciting really is a UN evacuation.

It wasn’t until 11:30 PM or so that we got out of the airport. We had to discuss transport, the hotel, dinner, get important phone numbers, baggage, etc. Finally, we got to the hotel around midnight where I had a very late shower and dinner. Unfortunately, part of my 15 kg did not make it with me. I thought that my bag was safe unlocked on the WFP flight. Think again. My toiletry bag was stolen, and so I went to the market today and spent $50 on simple toiletries! Anyway, I made it in one piece, and so did most of my stuff.

In the US, the press isn’t so concerned with Chad. Anyone wishing to follow more closely the events in Chad, I would recommend BBC home page. As I watch BBC on TV this evening, the president is threatening to force the 200,000 Sudanese refugees back to Darfur because of his claim that Sudan is supporting the rebel group.

As far as the sounds of war, they have actually stopped in N’Djamena, for now. Since yesterday’s return to silence in the morning, there have been no other battles. However, the conflict does not appear to be over. The rebels seem determined and there are rumors of another attack being prepared. Someone asked me last night how long we would stay here – I said, I suppose we stay here until the situation improves, or your contract is finished. Some Chadians I know think we will return in one week. We really don’t know. In any case, on Tuesday, I will be at our WFP regional bureau where I am certain that I will gain some valuable experience while waiting. And at the same time, I will be enjoying a new location in the world – Cameroon.