Plan to Recruit and Resettle the RSF Militia in Chad

Senior political sources have revealed intensive moves led by Chadian President Mahamat Idris Deby to build international alliances aimed at helping his country overcome its severe economic crisis and address deteriorating social conditions, amid concerns over the repercussions of the war in Sudan on the situation inside Chad.

The sources said the Chadian president had formally requested urgent assistance from France, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to address the worsening livelihood crisis. According to the sources, the proposed Chadian vision includes a controversial pre-emptive plan to deal with potential scenarios in the Darfur region. The plan involves arrangements to establish camps to accommodate anticipated waves of refugees from Arab tribes if the Sudanese Army advances and takes control of Darfur. It also includes a strategic plan to benefit from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) by integrating or recruiting its members within Chad if they are forced to withdraw from Sudanese territory.

As part of these understandings, the United Arab Emirates has pledged to finance the developmental and logistical aspects of the plan by funding the establishment of fully integrated model villages and drilling 600 boreholes to provide drinking water and basic necessities in host areas.

The sources said President Deby’s plan has faced strong and outright opposition from senior military and political leaders in Chad, particularly members of the Zaghawa community, to which Chad’s ruling elite belongs.

The opposition leaders accused their government of pursuing a scheme aimed at resettling and replacing Arab tribes in their historic areas in eastern Chad, threatening a comprehensive demographic shift that would reshape the balance of power in the country.

The military and political leaders levelled sharp and direct accusations against the United Arab Emirates, claiming that Abu Dhabi was seeking to transfer the scenario of the “Sudanese catastrophe” into Chad. They drew comparisons between the UAE’s support for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan and the situation unfolding there, warning that such plans would inevitably trigger devastating ethnic and tribal conflicts that could destroy Chad’s fragile stability.