Dajo and Masalit peoples living on both sides of the Chad and Sudan borders are being systematically targeted by Chadian and Sudanese militia, according to a February 5 report by Human Rights Watch. The daily attacks, which have been documented since early December 2005, are occurring in the regions of Adré, Adé, and Modoyna in eastern Chad, and involve "killing civilians, burning villages, and stealing cattle in a pattern of attacks that show signs of ethnic bias." According to the report, tens of thousands, mainly Dajo and Masalit peoples, are displaced within Chad and will need food aid as their crops are being destroyed and their cattle stolen in the attacks. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch called for the UN Security Council to intervene in the area with a clear mandate to protect civilians and disarm the militia. In January, President Idriss Deby of Chad boycotted the 6th African Summit in Khartoum, citing Sudanese backing of anti-government rebels in Chad as the reason, the Daily Times reported.
