Behind the war in Chad in Central America.
aggression'.
This another Chile in Central America comes at a time wner US imperialism preparing military might for direct intervenagainst the revoluLonary cover ments and the popular liberation forces of El Salvador.
July
diverted warship!
around the Wore to le Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Nicaragua.
The naval force totals 19 ships, including two aircraft calnels, battleships, destrodes and neates.
warplanes 16,457 troops will be carried on board. Their task is "practise' the blockading and intercepting of Shipping 5000 US ground troops have been sent to Honduras for exercises with the Honduran army.
The Nicaraguan 2000 Honduran troops are massed along its northern border, along with supporters of the deposed Vicaraguan dictator Somoza.
calms these 'routine manoeuvres' will end within but there is evidence that they are yeover lo mass troops on i Nicaraguan border alice it alica al lurning Hor aras into a perma•FH the anGe communist terrorists densecratic lands'. world have us believe.
leader Colonel Qaddafi.
life are the empire defenders of the United States, French and British ruling class.
the days when black Africans Southern Chad filled the holds slave ships, through to the 1900's when French imperialism sank its roots, the econmomy, politics and lives of the Chad people have been at the mercy of these profit sharks and their puppets in the region.
The borders of Chad of the French who carved an arbitrary domain multitude of geographic economic regions, from different language, cultural and ethnic groups. Coercion repression were needed to keep this French French rule left a trail of deprivation in a country zhich is now one of the the WOre wice the size of France it cas only 150 miles of paved road and only 10 per sent of its 4.5 million people Tedd write. ON 11 SEPTEMBER thousands of labour and solidarity movement activists will take to the streets of London under the banner 'Stop US intervention End Britain's support for US nent US gallisol Central America.
These moves were backed this month with a coup in Guatemala provide the US aggressors with secure ally in that country.
The deposed Guatemalan leader, General Rios Montt, was far liberal threat US domination in the region.
In his 17 months reign of terror 10.000 women and children from the Indian population were slaughtered, accused of sympathising with left wing guerrillas.
But 'Montt's fanatical support for a born-again protestant sect made him nially Catholic-dominated coun try, as did his taxation and austerity measures, which arousea suspicion in the business community.
Sections of the military were upset by his promo tion of young officers who held his religious views.
On Monday 8 August Montt was removed in a coup led by defence General Mejias Victores. All evidence points to US involvement.
On the weekend before the coup, Mejia met with General® Frederick Woerner, the second command of the US M CENTRAL America to Chad, it's the same Hole world over — the spreading Soviet menace invading free afid This is what the bosses' media In Chad the red threat is supposed to be Libyan But the real terrorists who topple governments, crash popular rebellions and interfere with political, When Chad was given independence 1960, French interests remained and Ngarta Tombalbaye, a dictator friendly to French imperialism, was installed. The Southern cotton dustry, which provides 75 per cent of Chad's export earnings is totally controlled by French companies.
The people of Chad have not remained silent.
During Tombalbaye's rule, the Muslim people of Central and North Chad severe discrimination. Peasant uprisings met repression and hundreds were killed.
In 1966, the Chad National Liberation Front Frolinat was set up in the North to oppose French domination and to overthrow the puppet This struggle for naself-determination got a boost in 1969 when Muammar Qaddafi came Southern Command Panama. He also visited the US aircral camer Ranger. During the coup itself the Us ambassy's deputy military attache was televised directing operations through walkie-talkie.
escalation direct US involvement snows inal imperlalism 1s becoming more desperate as the revoltitions in the region become stronger efforts collapse crush them through repression phoney democratic reforms.
After •four years the revolutionary ments in Nicaragua and have made against TO BE LEBANON AN to power in neighbouring Libya.
Qaddafi defied the dictates of imperialism and backed revolutionary and national liberation struggles in the region including military and financial aid to Frolinat.
These developments sent shivers up the backs of US and French rulers.
French imperialism has extensive interests the Cameroon Ivory Coast, Gabon and the Central •African Republic guarded by Mitterrand 10,000 French troops. Extensive US interests North Africa and the Middle East are threatened by Qaddafi's defiance.
But by 1976 Frolinat split into a number of factions, including those led by the present combatants wal Goukouni® Oueddi and Hisène Habré. Habre profit grabbing capitalist Lowdes life for workers ocasallls free degradation and oppression Massive mobilisations of the people in militias nave turned back the military assaults on this progress. Stop Reagan's headaches don't stop at the revolutionary movements of the workers peasants. Traditional allies Colombian anana ca Colombia, Panama Venezuela — known as the Contadora group — have French imperialism played on this split, using Habré as a counterweight Goukouni's larger Frolina faction, which allied with Qaddafi. So, in 1978, •when Goukouni's forces threatened to topple the pro-French regime, the French sent 2,500 troops to restore order and convinced Habré to coalition with the then leader General Felix Malloum.
This coalition soon broke down IOl short while, Goukouni was brought into a new coali. tion as president. Then in 1980, Habré take total power, backed by the French and pro-imperialist regimes in Egypt and Sudan.
Blow With the help of Libyan troops, Goukouni's forces defeated Habré in the civil war that followed a blow for imperialism described by the then Secretary of State Alexander Haig as a 'grave turn of events'.
The US and French government could not let this turn of events rest for long. Under French pressure Goukouni removed the Libyan troops from Chad. This reopened the way for Habre's exiled forces to drive President power, backed by the CIA, Egypt and Sudan.
But the Habré regime, spoken out firmly against the United States military intervention.
Opposition is mounting in the United States itself.
Internationlly, there are some isolated voices raised to back Reagan's OCW Vietnam. Thatcher has stated that 'What the Americans are trying to do in the region... was also in interests'.
Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe said 'Bri tain absolutely endorsed the oblectives. which the United States were pursuing in the region' On 11 September we have to make it loud and clear that the working people of Britain don't agree. the safer option for imperialism, under seige again from the Libyan backed Goukouni forces who COLLOI large parts of North Chad. And again terand are not standing idly by to see imperialism's interests dented in the region.
Today there is the biggest show of US military strength in North Africa since World War II and the largest French presence Algerian var isio decades Africa since ago.
Habré With Operation Bright Star '83, 5500 US troops Egypt, the Sudan neighbouring cull US fleet is manoeuvring off the coast of Libya.
This month dispatched $25 million of military aid to the Habré The Mitterrand government has sent an estimated National Assemble 1pm, Clerkenwell Green, London ECI Rally in Trafalgar Square NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION September 11th PEACE •AND• FREEDOM-IN•LATIN AMERICA STOP U.S.
INTERVENTION . • • •