العلاقات – التشادية – السودانية المعاصرة
Chadian-Sudanese relations are ancient relations. Sudan and Chad share common tribal and ethnic ties throughout the two countries, to the point that it is almost difficult to differentiate between who is Chadian and who is Sudanese, due to the similarity of features between the two peoples. Despite this, Chad’s relations with Sudan have gone through many periods of tension and barrenness. It oscillated between the exchange of benefits, hostility and war, through harboring and supporting the opposing movements in each, in light of the absence of the strategic dimension of common interests between N’Djamena and Khartoum in many cases, and being affected by tribal issues and overlapping borders. The security of the borders between Chad and Sudan remains one of the most important and prominent concerns between the two countries. It is considered one of the most passionate issues in the region due to its connection to the political, economic and social conditions in the two countries.
The subject of the research, which is entitled: Contemporary Chadian-Sudanese relations, refers to the problem raised by the research into these relations in the recent years that preceded the establishment of the joint forces. Conflicts and security chaos allowed arms smugglers to wreak havoc in that border region. Hence the idea of establishing joint security forces between the two countries. What is the impact of the agreements in securing the border between Chad and Sudan on the security situation?
The study’s approach is based on the analysis of these relationships as the result of a group of factors directly related to both parties on the one hand, and to the environment surrounding these relationships on the other hand.
Moreover, the analysis used the historical method in the belief that it is impossible to understand contemporary relations separate from their historical roots. History is a continuous chain of links in which the results are interconnected with the premises in a way that helps understand the present and predict the future.
The research also reached results, the most important of which are:
– The study revealed that Chad is greatly affected by the political, economic, social, security and military conditions in Sudan and vice versa, by virtue of the geographical situation, the length of the common border, and the close connection between the tribes in the border areas.
– The study also revealed that the influx of refugees led to the entry of large quantities of weapons, which were popular among the Sudanese tribes to acquire for the purpose of defending themselves or property, confronting armed insurgency, and the absence of a strategic dimension for the two countries with regard to common interests.
Keywords: Relations, Sovereignty, International Agreements, Foreign Policy, Joint Forces, Conflicts, Borders.
Dr. Saboun Mahamat RACHID, Department of Law, Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences, Adam Baraka University, Abcha – TCHAD
Dr. Yaya Lazam KOURECH, Department of Law, Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences, Adam Baraka University, Abcha – TCHAD