tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71265051165429239332024-03-05T10:46:23.685-08:00ChadChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-45340910913725351352010-03-24T10:34:00.000-07:002010-03-24T10:37:14.589-07:00the internet in africaFor the last few weeks I’ve been working on a special series for BBC about the internet in Africa. It’s provided me with some surprising and amusing insights into what’s happening across the continent. <br /><br />Take for example the Lagos reporter Fidelis Mbah, who like many Nigerians is enjoying facebook. Before he left for a training course in Kenya, he put up a facebook status update announcing his arrival. When he got to Nairobi he found a number of his facebook friends (who he’d never met before) waiting to meet him – including one who’d driven all the way from Kampala in neighbouring Uganda!<br /><br />In Kenya, a woman from Migori, Leah Okeya, has started using a site called ‘pulse wire’ to communicate with other people around the world living with HIV and Aids. She says despite having to use the village’s only internet café, which often suffers from breakdowns and power cuts, being able to discuss her illness with people who live outside her community has ‘changed her life’.<br /><br />One thing which I hadn’t anticipated, having spent the last 18 months in Chad where the internet connection was appalling, was that so many people in Africa are now accessing the internet via their mobile phones. In fact in South Africa, the editor of the Mail and Guardian online Chris Roper, estimates that more people get online that way than using a fixed computer. Africa is already jumping over the technical limitations in the way it jumped over the limitations of landlines.<br /><br />But one of the most interesting things was asking the reporters themselves to write a blog about their experiences of compiling reports about the internet. <br /><br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/2010/03/100310_superpowerblog.shtmlChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-5187894327524394242010-02-05T03:59:00.000-08:002010-02-05T04:01:01.283-08:00I am now back in the UK..Having returned to work at the BBC World Service African service. Watch this space for new material. <br /><br />In the meantime enjoy these photos!Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-41732940719668759062010-02-05T03:57:00.000-08:002010-02-05T03:58:45.679-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfPzllf6i_gocYbDn6t7ASYRS9gKG2IkqqYcjxIDFURQ9r_Cd2ZmjSj4yIyDPbFZH62AQwwWEz_R-JNOtProYLr_W2xqsepJheIUFOTuST_xa-xNMPbPPLf_YIWPR9nuhHpVo_13-F3M/s1600-h/south4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfPzllf6i_gocYbDn6t7ASYRS9gKG2IkqqYcjxIDFURQ9r_Cd2ZmjSj4yIyDPbFZH62AQwwWEz_R-JNOtProYLr_W2xqsepJheIUFOTuST_xa-xNMPbPPLf_YIWPR9nuhHpVo_13-F3M/s200/south4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434727529060086770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOaY54QTQE_EbtRj1PNZIOQ9TuMmw616oZP1VYdfZd4B9o0CPR0WxdkQl52soP-IecRX0zN_kLr2hH8_xSYoUjV5-2wEaCb6HGXRA8YNwNkWU4RDIYETFsOjD_0M5lwedGJ3vNvsseDo/s1600-h/kanem7.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOaY54QTQE_EbtRj1PNZIOQ9TuMmw616oZP1VYdfZd4B9o0CPR0WxdkQl52soP-IecRX0zN_kLr2hH8_xSYoUjV5-2wEaCb6HGXRA8YNwNkWU4RDIYETFsOjD_0M5lwedGJ3vNvsseDo/s200/kanem7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434727522704818562" /></a>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-43587816225770423572010-02-05T03:51:00.000-08:002010-02-05T03:57:14.576-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVLi1C8Tc_YUSqa61iEQjOZF5ViU-PgDP48DjYOURIrOLq7o6LL5QB8DpP5-WPG-eGuc53gNr2vDHLvMF_eZ1qwLbvbWgyojgbFzxAwbsqmqBN6s-pc1In2kUqpUDGUrtlEDU8hLwYdY/s1600-h/IMG_0080.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVLi1C8Tc_YUSqa61iEQjOZF5ViU-PgDP48DjYOURIrOLq7o6LL5QB8DpP5-WPG-eGuc53gNr2vDHLvMF_eZ1qwLbvbWgyojgbFzxAwbsqmqBN6s-pc1In2kUqpUDGUrtlEDU8hLwYdY/s200/IMG_0080.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434726603693545346" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2y2Mjw-uD1xWvvDC6vpN48r0_10Ip4MJ3Tv1x5q6bpP-IU0kDjTCpIg-xniAjq-aUc-3U7Ie6IPfqbp3W8zjMPIYN3UCHk1kVyVDjaAsItlG4niQjl9bs0H6iW5TYIP0Ak5oU-R0mKJo/s1600-h/gozb+112.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2y2Mjw-uD1xWvvDC6vpN48r0_10Ip4MJ3Tv1x5q6bpP-IU0kDjTCpIg-xniAjq-aUc-3U7Ie6IPfqbp3W8zjMPIYN3UCHk1kVyVDjaAsItlG4niQjl9bs0H6iW5TYIP0Ak5oU-R0mKJo/s200/gozb+112.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434726602466584258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_kmr0N-GZdf9_rixn4LiXAlyavBSbALUdGzIjKYcbNAyFMPBy0T0saUsn-f9mmm-4ksyLM_j_K-_n-UPSbcvmrhlLY6N7lsNlnnFkaEmEmtrOrqMnGkULSkF25OrOXu07QpiWoJXleg/s1600-h/demo5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_kmr0N-GZdf9_rixn4LiXAlyavBSbALUdGzIjKYcbNAyFMPBy0T0saUsn-f9mmm-4ksyLM_j_K-_n-UPSbcvmrhlLY6N7lsNlnnFkaEmEmtrOrqMnGkULSkF25OrOXu07QpiWoJXleg/s200/demo5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434726590805993714" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoDT33PC5etU578fJMnnGjCeECMn3g_Q16W_9Rw_pncK7ozBtqQSQ0-Ri51xhTPjI4EAKW3Wo97Sb1b18kZZXSwcLSQcUHcgue22m5-fezYD5a7lOKmvcku3nBWu93NlIOKV64lzKfjs/s1600-h/deby+014.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoDT33PC5etU578fJMnnGjCeECMn3g_Q16W_9Rw_pncK7ozBtqQSQ0-Ri51xhTPjI4EAKW3Wo97Sb1b18kZZXSwcLSQcUHcgue22m5-fezYD5a7lOKmvcku3nBWu93NlIOKV64lzKfjs/s200/deby+014.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434726587703871074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FfHlFzN2iRDejyhaC0kgKCA8VvWK7W6kgOUTEmdSrs7tisX2K7E4tvgfdTNYKkQJICftGA_TR-gRSqanPV3eCFgw44V1zAAvvNGAqDoYsHWe-lQSxXjTw_i9N0vPx5tAqQkOHjY5fK0/s1600-h/daha+005.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FfHlFzN2iRDejyhaC0kgKCA8VvWK7W6kgOUTEmdSrs7tisX2K7E4tvgfdTNYKkQJICftGA_TR-gRSqanPV3eCFgw44V1zAAvvNGAqDoYsHWe-lQSxXjTw_i9N0vPx5tAqQkOHjY5fK0/s200/daha+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434726578951336450" /></a>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-42983950363224754472010-02-05T03:44:00.000-08:002010-02-05T03:50:32.500-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8o8bg-UtAmqGZn5SdDHz2B-7VQ0kfBEIvJJhqYa5Abv5XJVd0QpeyTRMadjhh69CNEOAUrteDtXJL1Ro4FvRUFfG9Z5s0dXobeUfXz9cyPqxeXgYFpEdboVHsSf5a6AYXU-yZZG_4WU/s1600-h/bahay5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8o8bg-UtAmqGZn5SdDHz2B-7VQ0kfBEIvJJhqYa5Abv5XJVd0QpeyTRMadjhh69CNEOAUrteDtXJL1Ro4FvRUFfG9Z5s0dXobeUfXz9cyPqxeXgYFpEdboVHsSf5a6AYXU-yZZG_4WU/s200/bahay5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434725410879956274" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZvkhBZwuXTzlrtp-Y25250olq0dIh3ItL5X9wJ1rC6RQxUFwpDDFYF_dhGL6UPl70yeqAI-iym2itm_gSK1LsqQdZwLRutNEB-tm0DiFYhXdu2mS1AtTxAstZ6ZiNaBRtJZeUhZ4tqY/s1600-h/amdam+and+daha+026.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZvkhBZwuXTzlrtp-Y25250olq0dIh3ItL5X9wJ1rC6RQxUFwpDDFYF_dhGL6UPl70yeqAI-iym2itm_gSK1LsqQdZwLRutNEB-tm0DiFYhXdu2mS1AtTxAstZ6ZiNaBRtJZeUhZ4tqY/s200/amdam+and+daha+026.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434725401468233138" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFj0Axrq5Kt5leZ23BklBLHtOF-vq8EftxJJEVdmcbj1ep4SVosZ4-_iaGQRKthM3Rwee8T69uuXqcHAwL4RMJfN7xeTHygii_sb8wRjFbJAk8z_U7mStAkoIhek8BjfC3eyE_LAufXI/s1600-h/amdam+and+daha+044.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFj0Axrq5Kt5leZ23BklBLHtOF-vq8EftxJJEVdmcbj1ep4SVosZ4-_iaGQRKthM3Rwee8T69uuXqcHAwL4RMJfN7xeTHygii_sb8wRjFbJAk8z_U7mStAkoIhek8BjfC3eyE_LAufXI/s200/amdam+and+daha+044.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434725396843866274" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaPxbAKWbauhsAIoWzKh4hi880gwEJt86JjR5Jt4zTypUO8gUMgFZjbbV3kRBznBZ0AJBMeKW2IaSb9nK_LoPkBjrX7EoMKrAQo8wkggjkPA_ZYATgylE7YE8V59ZpAPCvcYpQDullfo/s1600-h/kanem7.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaPxbAKWbauhsAIoWzKh4hi880gwEJt86JjR5Jt4zTypUO8gUMgFZjbbV3kRBznBZ0AJBMeKW2IaSb9nK_LoPkBjrX7EoMKrAQo8wkggjkPA_ZYATgylE7YE8V59ZpAPCvcYpQDullfo/s200/kanem7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434725390393193026" /></a>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-7232726440570889422009-12-29T02:56:00.000-08:002009-12-29T03:01:11.092-08:00Security in N'DjamenaIn the last few weeks a number of serious security incidents have taken place involving foreigners working for international organizations, leading to the suspicion that a deliberate campaign is being carried out against them. Allow me to recount a few.<br /><br /><br />A female friend working for the UN followed the flow of traffic in the centre of town, where most of the drivers flouted a one-way rule on a main road. While the other cars were allowed to pass, a number of armed men jumped out in front of her car, and a police car blocked her passage. When she protested that everyone else had gone that way, she was asked to get out of the car. She called UN security, which irritated the armed men (one is never sure who is really a policeman here), and they pulled several guns on her, shouting and threatening until UN security arrived.<br /><br />In another incident a male UN worker traveling home at night was picked up on a roundabout by another driver, who drove right up behind him flashing his lights and tooting his horn. The UN worker sped up to avoid a confrontation, and the driver followed him all the way to his compound where he drove in, knocking guards out of the way, and drove right up to the UN workers door. He managed to escape by running around the back of the house while the driver was hammering on the front door.<br /><br />A family of five was visited by ‘secret police’ without ID one morning, and told they had 24 hours to get out of their house. When they protested that they had nowhere to go they were told they would be locked out of the house. Several calls to embassies and friends produced no results and they did in fact move the following day to a temporary house. Two days later the mother was stopped in the road by more armed men, demanding to see her papers. When she could not produce them, armed men got into the back of her car and refused to leave. Feeling threatened she started protesting and crying, but was hit on the arm by a policeman, who then impounded her car.Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-58145773123406378292009-12-10T07:59:00.001-08:002009-12-10T07:59:59.632-08:00Film on Darfur refugee camp which is to be moved by the Chadian authoritiesChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-58326400992864329852009-12-10T07:19:00.000-08:002009-12-10T07:48:55.772-08:00<OBJECT id=BLOG_video-350c95e2504776f5 class=BLOG_video_class width=320 height=266 contentId="350c95e2504776f5"></OBJECT>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-47813779047831148982009-12-03T00:12:00.000-08:002009-12-03T00:14:02.045-08:00Bonne FeteChad has just come to a standstill for the best part of a week. The Muslim ‘sheep fete’ or Tabaski, fell on a Friday and Saturday, followed by ‘democracy day’ on 1st December, celebrating the day Deby took power through an armed coup.<br /><br />I’ve never seen it so quiet. The streets were empty, apart from the armoured personnel carrier parked at the end of our street, with its gun barrel facing our house, and the Chadian housekeeper taking some French ex-pat’s three white poodles for a trot through the dust. Birdsong could be heard, and walking was a pleasure in the cool Sahelian winter. For one delightful day, no monotonous drone of the ubiquitous motorbikes, whose riders zoom out from every junction without ever looking, driving on the wrong side of the road. However those who were out and about presented a new hazard – driving with a sheep sitting on the front of the bike with its front legs draped over the handlebars. <br /><br />A few things were different this year. For one it’s actually chilly. Although for a European it still seems slightly over the top to see Chadians in puffer jackets and woolly hats at midday, at night I’m delighting in a blanket. Secondly, there seems to be far fewer sheep than last year. Anecdotally I’m hearing that after a year of rising food prices, a ban on charcoal which has sent the price of wood through the roof, and falling oil revenues (Chad’s main export), not everyone can afford the traditional Tabaski sheep this year.<br /><br />But the real difference is the tranquil passing of the ‘democracy day’ parade. Last year the streets were blocked with tanks and mean-looking soldiers - the skies screamed as four Sukhoi fighter jets passed over. The newspapers were full of jingoistic ranting about defeating the rebels, Deby’s speech was bellicose and dramatic. This year a small band of soldiers marched up and down smiling, and Deby was almost placatory. The greatest gift Chadians could enjoy this year, he said, was freedom. Debatable, but peace at least seems achievable now. <br /><br />The day was crowned with a firework display at midnight, which blasted me from my slumber with half-formed fears of a rebel attack. Even a year ago, so common was the sound of gunfire in the streets of N’Djamena, I would have never believed the explosions were for fun. Chad closes 2009 with a real possibility of change for the future.Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-23919976568987251822009-12-02T00:59:00.000-08:002009-12-02T01:09:22.309-08:00Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-28286101711016560332009-11-20T03:34:00.000-08:002009-11-20T03:37:27.460-08:00Better than Masai MaraAmongst the tales of war, famine and corruption in Chad it’s hard to believe there’s a story of natural beauty reminiscent of the glorious parks of southern and eastern Africa. Somehow throughout the last forty years of conflict, Chad’s own Masai Mara, Zakouma, has managed to cling on, with only the black rhino going extinct.<br /><br />After months of claustrophobia in the N’Djamena weekend scene, which involves endless NGO parties, and dinners at a handful of restaurants where the menu is known by heart by everyone, it was a true culture shock to get out into the countryside. I can actually say I had a wonderful time, without having to resort to drunken diving in swimming pools. <br /><br />At 3am, after a delicious supper and a decent bottle of wine, thirty glinting eyes hovering on the surface of a moonlit pool were serenaded by bad guitar and an Aussie and singing ‘never smile at a crocodile’. Just before we’d followed a leopard for half an hour, chasing his distinctively striped tail as it darted through the undergrowth, our naturalist companion standing on the roof of the vehicle doing a spookily convincing version of a baby buffalo caught in a trap. <br /><br />But there is more to say than just recounting my adventures. Zakouma boasts Central Africa’s largest population of elephants, which in the 1970s numbered around 150,000. Today that figure is about 600, with more than 3,000 having been lost to poaching in the last three years. <br /><br />Instead of a thriving habitat, untouched and unquestionably alive, for a time Zakouma became known for death. Rotting carcasses, their faces slashed off, dotted the emerald grasslands; visitors talked only of the smell. At one point more an average of three elephants a day were being killed to fuel a trade in ivory which was buoyed by a one-off legal sale in 2005. <br /><br />Today anti-poaching efforts are working and no elephants have been lost in the last six months. Horse-backed guards communicate directly with a team in the air who make almost daily aerial surveys of the park. I did see the elephants from the air, along with a shockingly beautiful sunset, and they were still very much alive. <br /><br />***NOTE*** sadly since I wrote this, three more elephants have been killedChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-44009092548673772232009-11-20T03:29:00.000-08:002009-11-20T03:33:48.507-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpT9Hm1BjQjFJ9lCBfdrKRFfZxvjIdEPIrINlGxloE86Fw_nm5Ju2cr5vO6JjxMd0IRUwNvIVp79rTGF5V2bVgzAzNU0vH5z5RhG3Kq-16Jp9SkeuMV1i6KqUwbxFgpVAJJRvBc37x0wQ/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpT9Hm1BjQjFJ9lCBfdrKRFfZxvjIdEPIrINlGxloE86Fw_nm5Ju2cr5vO6JjxMd0IRUwNvIVp79rTGF5V2bVgzAzNU0vH5z5RhG3Kq-16Jp9SkeuMV1i6KqUwbxFgpVAJJRvBc37x0wQ/s320/IMG_0112.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406147533251304738" /></a>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-81038514123612880202009-11-12T22:19:00.000-08:002009-11-12T22:44:50.526-08:00Miss Fort Lamy 1966She may be a sexagenarian, but Fatime Boumie still knows how to look her best. Her short bob-style hair is gleaming and immaculate, the high cheek bones and striking eyes that made her so unforgettable at 16 still call out from under the gentle sinking of age. On the wall of her small apartment, above the striped sofa, a single black and white photo is testament to her success in 1966 when she was picked as the most beautiful woman in the Chadian capital. <br /><br />But 40 years later, her success was soured by the appearance of a rival. Helene Adda, who is apparently Fatime’s friend, claimed at the launch of the modern version of the competition in 2007 that in fact she was the winner from 1966. The two women went on to have a very public row about who won, and by extension perhaps, who is the more beautiful. <br /><br />“I know that a coup was launched, and I’ve done everything I can to make it clear what happened, because I was Miss Fort Lamy 1966!” says Fatime, and she has indeed done everything - taking the matter to court last year. In the end she was proclaimed the real Miss Fort Lamy 1966, reclaiming her crown and seeing to it that Helene was demoted to the less glamorous Miss Sport 1966. <br /><br />But still she does not feel completely vindicated – she’s now complaining that the £3000 awarded to her as compensation from the Chadian state has yet to be paid. <br /><br />“The only value of the five thousand dollars for me is the respect of men. Because I’m a woman, and for us women the most important thing is our honour” she concludes, adding that she intends to stand for parliament next year.Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-27802770546151643842009-11-10T23:48:00.000-08:002009-11-11T00:13:23.945-08:00New Report on Violations of Darfur Arms EmbargoThis makes interesting reading, very detailed evidence of how arms and ammunition flow across the border between Chad and Sudan, and how Sudan has supplied Chadian rebels with arms.<br /><br />http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-7XNSQP?OpenDocumentChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-10894590446433726012009-10-29T01:15:00.000-07:002009-10-29T01:17:10.794-07:00The Funniest Questions I've Ever Been Asked1. First off, you have lived in N'Djamena for nearly a year? Is it fair to call the city, "the worst place you've ever experienced."? <br /><br />Me: “No, not the worst and not fair. It’s certainly tough. I’ve compared it to Mogadishu in Somalia but at least here in Chad there is peace and people can go about their daily business without the threat of being blown up”<br /><br />2. Do you the Pekin Hotel? If so, is that a Chinese-run bed-and-breakfast?<br /><br />“I think it’s near the airport. There are several Chinese hotels – Shanghai, Chez Wou, Dong Fang. Some have massage parlours”<br /><br />3. Do you know if hippopotami live in the River Chari?<br /><br />“Yes they do”<br /> <br />4. Do you know if smugglers often wade the river to deliver electronics and other goods into Chad?<br /> <br />“No I don’t but it wouldn’t surprise me”<br /><br />5. We have a photo of a wall scarred by bullet holes, are they from 2008 rebel attack? Is that the national museum with the bones of a dinosaur visible through a perforated wall?<br /><br />“The bullet holes could have been from any of the rebel attacks or battles over the last thirty years. It’s an elephant skeleton, not a dinosaur” <br /><br />6. Does downtown N'Djamena' commercial life consist of two banks, a French bakery, Air France and Ethiopian Airways ticket offices, and a handful of ex-pat friendly restaurants?<br /><br />“No a little more than that – an internet service provider office, internet café, petrol station, a supermarket, a nightclub and a photo shop, but not much”<br /><br />7. Do you know if the street lights are powered with batteries in N'Djamena? <br /><br />“Some of the new street lights and traffic lights are powered by solar panels which I guess contain batteries”Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-62881715765307384122009-10-20T03:56:00.000-07:002009-10-20T04:09:55.496-07:00Obama's Sudan PolicyDarfur cannot be solved properly without taking into consideration the regional context.<br /><br />Hundreds of thousands of displaced Darfuris languish in refugee camps across the east of Chad with no realistic prospect of going home. They will not want to return while there is still a risk of conflict between Darfur rebel groups and the Sudanese government, and this in turn cannot be guaranteed without realising the role the Chadian rebels play in regional destabilisation.<br /><br />Twice now, in 2006 and 2008, Chadian rebels came within a kilometre of the Presidential Palace in N'Djamena and President Deby only survived by the skin of his teeth. These rebels were armed by Sudan, in a bid to take out Deby, who in President Bashir's eyes was not doing enough to stop the JEM and other Darfur rebels from using Chadian territory for rear bases. <br /><br />Beyond their apparent role as 'Sudanese mercaneries' (Deby's stock phrase), the Chadian rebels do seem to articulate legitimate grievances - they are unhappy about the lack of democratic space in Chad, and Deby's almost total control of oil revenues, which ought to be being used for social development. <br /><br />Without serious US engagement with Chad at a political level - in a similar vein to its commitment to Sudan - the problems in the east and Darfur, which are inextricably linked, will retain the potential to 'spillover' at any time.Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-16487492320558637502009-10-10T12:19:00.000-07:002009-10-10T12:30:16.205-07:00Traffic LightsAs part of a new drive to clean up and develop N'Djamena, tens of kilometres of new tarmac roads have appeared over the last few months. The finishing touch is the addition of traffic lights - until now a pretty much unheard of unnecessary hindrance to crazy driving.<br /><br />A new set has appeared at the end of my road - quite a contraption as they're powered by solar panels. The base is about 6 metres high, with a 2 squared metre panel on the top. The lights were so bright the other night I thought a new bar or nightclub was spilling its neon wares onto the badly-lit street.<br /><br />But they are causing some confusion. Yesterday I watched for a full three minutes as a driver waited patiently while the signal was green. The second it changed to red he started off slowly into the incoming traffic, all of which came flying at him swearing and tooting horns aggressively, juddering bikes wobbling out of his way, motorbike riders on the wrong side of the road swerving to avoid him.<br /><br />Today the traffic lights have stopped working.Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-39747448663415792242009-10-05T10:21:00.000-07:002009-10-05T10:22:16.782-07:00Rape of darfur refugeesOne of the most ludicrous statements to come out of Chad’s government spokesman, Mahamat Hissene, was his assertion this week that ‘rape cases did not happen in Chad before the arrival of Darfur refugees’. He was responding to an Amnesty International report which claims that ‘high levels’ of sexual violence are being perpetrated on women and girls living in camps in the east which are supposed to offer them protection. <br /><br />Mr Hissene, an ostensibly worldly, educated man – dapper even (he’s often seen sporting sharp suits and white gangster shoes), was postulating, I believe, that only Sudanese men – either refugees themselves or people crossing over the border – are incapable of controlling themselves. He’s almost affectionately well known for publishing statements wildly at odds with reality.<br /><br />Nonetheless he responded quickly to an issue that has caused much excitement. I had one of my busiest days ever when the Amnesty report came out, including interest from domestic UK news who have never asked me for anything before. <br /><br />What Amnesty is saying is well-known. The east of Chad is a hostile, unforgiving landscape – from the air, concentric circles of bald sand, denuded of trees, can be seen emanating out from the refugee camps. There is not enough wood to go round, and women are forced to leave the camps to search for more. This is when they come into conflict with local people, resentful of the handouts of food, fuel and water that the refugees receive. <br />Women such as Marian “nine women went out into a village to collect wood. We were stopped by some men from the village. They took our materials and attacked us with sticks and stones. I don’t know who they were. Now the children are too scared to go out alone”. <br /><br />After months of frustration that most of the outside world doesn’t really seem to care what happens in Chad, it was refreshing to be bombarded with requests for reports. But also interesting for us here that the Amnesty report had no sense of perspective – the phenomena of rape in the camps is well-known, so are things getting better or worse? How many people are we talking about exactly? Is rape still used systematically as a ‘tool of war’ in the way it was in Darfur? The crisis in eastern Chad, for better or worse, is still only comprehensible in its most reduced form – Darfur spill-over, refugees, women, victims.Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-22743516778241980372009-09-28T08:30:00.000-07:002009-09-28T08:31:27.414-07:00Justice Chadian StyleI admit it, it was thorough idiocy. It had the hallmarks of ‘things that happen to un-streetwise tourists in any public place anywhere in the world’. Warning bells should have been going off all around me. Look, you stupid woman! While this apparently nice Chadian man is chatting to you as you sit at the wheel of the car, feigning interest in your frankly amateur attempts at photography, his mate is round the other side of the car with his hand through your wide open window, nicking your bag.<br /><br />Too late I realised and leapt up, ran to the other side and took a flapping, girly swipe at the villain. Surprised is such a meagre word to describe his face when he saw me lunge at him, windmill-like. He dropped the purse, but not before taking out all my cash, and then rather hesitantly, as if he couldn’t quite believe he was actually getting away with this, he started running, slowly at first, and then a hair-brained sprint. “Help me!” I shouted at my fellow photography enthusiast, realising with a nauseous jolt that this was a textbook set up and he too was only still there because he couldn’t quite believe he’d got away with it. With keys in the ignition, I thought better of chasing these half-hearted opportunists and appealed instead to the better nature of the security guards standing outside a house a few metres away.<br /><br />“What?” says one of them feebly, rubbing his eyes. <br /><br />“They stole my money! Please help me!!” <br /><br />“Well I didn’t see anything”<br /><br />“But they’re just there! Go after them!”<br /><br />“I’m breaking the fast” he says and closes the door.<br /><br />By this time a huge crowd of people had gathered to stare at the crazy white woman crying and shouting in the street. A policeman in uniform sidles up. “What seems to be the matter, madam?” <br /><br />“They stole all my money – can you help? They just ran off down there!”<br /><br />“How much did they steal?”<br /><br />“What does it matter how much they stole – they’re getting away! Go after them!”<br /><br />“Well I can’t because I didn’t see them”<br /><br />“I want to speak to your supervisor”<br /><br />Ten minutes later and I have established that the policeman is not going to chase the felons, because despite his uniform he is not on duty. Nor is his supervisor, who is on duty, because he is breaking the fast. <br /><br />Two hours later at the police station, I finish filling in the forms and answering interminable questions about how much money they stole, where they went and why didn’t anyone help me. Finally, action! The police commander says we are going to arrest the guard at the house for failure to assist when a crime was being committed. As long as I drive the two armed policemen back to the scene. <br /><br />When we arrive the guard denies all knowledge of seeing the theft because he was breaking the fast, he starts interrogating me in front of the policeman. After ten minutes they’re chatting and laughing, saying what a bad neighbourhood it is. When I drop the two policemen, empty-handed except for their AK47s, back at the station later, I notice a group of about 20 men sitting outside on mats, chatting with police officers, sharing tea and breaking the fast. They are not hand-cuffed or restrained in any way. “Do you know who they are?” my Chadian friend asks me. “That’s the Director of Finance and his colleagues, they’ve been arrested on suspicion of stealing 3 million dollars” <br /><br />Below : The two hundred pound photoChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-59265503937795595182009-09-28T08:26:00.000-07:002009-09-28T08:29:33.962-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E0NEXM7sYjNLXCqcCrBdQpNlGqfsJV0DAdVD6lYDpxgWXwW2wZS88GyejSxifWqTnS9pZ0MvzYxR_uEH670Eb9cwyqppGK9Msh22TMnePufH0n7iPCc7eeFU5HbsyCXW3OFhdjh_ABA/s1600-h/rubbish15.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E0NEXM7sYjNLXCqcCrBdQpNlGqfsJV0DAdVD6lYDpxgWXwW2wZS88GyejSxifWqTnS9pZ0MvzYxR_uEH670Eb9cwyqppGK9Msh22TMnePufH0n7iPCc7eeFU5HbsyCXW3OFhdjh_ABA/s320/rubbish15.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386540749867284978" /></a>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-52083251894440317412009-09-17T02:57:00.000-07:002009-09-17T02:59:24.201-07:00Welcome HomeLike most places, August is silly season in Chad. Nothing happens - it rains a lot and the roads get clogged, so the rebels can’t get up to their tricks. Journalists scramble about for stories. Many of the French people living here take most of the month off to return home and see family. <br /><br />But this year someone’s been busy. I arrived back in the dark to the surreal sight of new white road markings – including a pedestrian crossing, and arrows to indicate the correct position for a car turning left (if only, if only!). One year ago this road was a sloppy mud pit, only 4 x 4s were able to negotiate its metre-deep trenches. What’s more I could see the road markings because someone has installed street lighting. <br /><br />In town, a roundabout which has been closed since I arrived is now resplendent with a giant iron figure of a man riding a horse, thrusting his arm into the sky. All the roads around the roundabout have been paved – a remarkable feat when I cast my mind back to my arrival when there were only about ten paved roads in the whole city. <br /><br />Each morning, road sweepers wearing fluorescent jackets line up on the new tarmac roads, brooms in hand, ready to tackle the infernal Saharan dust, (a largely pointless task). Mini sweeper vans patrol at night (though they merely throw the dust up in a swirling cloud), and merry orange rubbish trucks are a common sight. High above them new street signs assist drivers approaching major junctions, though quite who was responsible for writing Najamena I’m not sure. <br /><br />Deby’s critics say nothing has been done with the more than $4billion dollars Chad has earned since it started exporting oil to the US five years ago. Doubtless, most Chadians are not impressed with the fleet of second-hand fighter jets and attack helicopters now jamming the runway in Abeche, though this was clearly money well spent as the rebels were firmly defeated in May. But to argue that nothing is being done is to ignore the radical transformation taking place in N’Djamena. <br /><br />If only someone could explain why all the trees were cut down beside the cathedral then I’d be really impressed. <br /><br />NUCLEAR WINTER?Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-23521449188621643282009-09-17T02:56:00.000-07:002009-09-17T02:57:33.158-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpW1hAQFolXXVARhKGT7x_eQfHXoJhd3oEPDHlmHBhU9xJp1j-6pC3fS1xWiesMk4YViOqZkCE88kt8S78rpijyg0By1_m_yGSGRXHYJM2Jcm44mtykELos_pCJaI1LMsvDOyhHaEldu4/s1600-h/cathedral.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpW1hAQFolXXVARhKGT7x_eQfHXoJhd3oEPDHlmHBhU9xJp1j-6pC3fS1xWiesMk4YViOqZkCE88kt8S78rpijyg0By1_m_yGSGRXHYJM2Jcm44mtykELos_pCJaI1LMsvDOyhHaEldu4/s320/cathedral.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382373213092290658" /></a>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-87286805446301829312009-08-18T10:37:00.001-07:002009-08-18T10:42:12.094-07:00NEW FILMFollowing on from my trip to the south of Chad to meet newly-arrived refugees from Central African Republic earlier this year, I've finally edited their stories into a film. Attempts have been made (by the BBC) to get a comment from the CAR government about the alleged massacre, but so far this has proved fruitless.Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-43523339520118682842009-08-18T09:50:00.000-07:002009-08-18T10:34:32.980-07:00<OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-2efe54836b3cc661 height=266 width=320 contentId="2efe54836b3cc661"></OBJECT>Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126505116542923933.post-18988465358884942712009-08-16T13:22:00.001-07:002009-08-16T13:22:48.967-07:00Service with a SmileWarning: Do not try to challenge a Zaghawa (the President’s clan) heading up any kind of public agency in Chad. <br /><br />I have lived (just) to tell the tale of my mistake in thinking that I could get away with erroneously addressing a letter to the ‘Minister’ instead of ‘Director’. <br /><br />Hemmed in by a set of unpropitious circumstances - due to the ministry’s lack of communication my paperwork was already out of date; I don’t have a printer and the only reliable (Chinese) internet café in N’Djamena has been shut for weeks; never mind the constant power cuts, road closures and the fact that by the time I’ve re-printed the letter everyone will have gone home because it’s past 15.00 – I am insistent. The director won’t even look at me in the face. I am gruffly dismissed. ‘Please…’ I beseech, ‘Madam, I AM BUSY!’ <br /><br />Fine, I know. I know that anger gets you nowhere. I should by now have learnt how to deal with the institutionalised pedantry peddled by those who benefit from the most egregious nepotism, who lord it over others as long as their man is the big man.<br /><br />But before I’ve calculated the hopelessness of my plea, my irritation leaks out like battery acid. ‘Please…’ I beg, unwisely one last time. The director shouts ‘no!’ and leaps up grabbing me by the arm to direct me to the door. I snap and throw his arm from mine. With lightning reactions he raises his hand close to my face in order to strike me for my insolence. He stops just in time, realising his mistake, but not before I’ve exploded. I spit the words out like a hunched cat, ‘how dare you raise your hand to me!’<br /><br /><br />The fight is diffused by an unfortunate Nigerian caught in the crossfire, who is the only one in the room to realise how ridiculous the whole situation has become. A shameful display by everyone involved, but I still cannot believe how frustrating this place can be. It’s time for a break. <br /><br />(*PS I’m now in UK until early September :)Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173422375976541440noreply@blogger.com0