SUMMARY
FAN (Forces Armées du Nord, or “Armed Forces of the North”) was an armed group active in the Chadian intrastate armed conflict over government during the 1970s and 1980s. Since it gained independence from France in 1960, Chad has been hard-hit by armed conflict. The country is characterized by an immense ethnic diversity, and these divisions have been exacerbated by a tradition of factionalism. Historically, there has been animosity between the mainly Muslim north and the more Christian and animist south. Another prominent feature of the Chadian conflicts has been a strong regional dimension, as particularly Libya and Sudan have had strong influence on Chad’s conflict dynamics. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the most prominent insurgent group in Chad was FROLINAT (Front de Liberation Nationale du Tchad, National Liberation Front of Chad), which sought to bring down the autocratic government of President Francois Tombalabye. Even as FROLINAT became beset by internal dissention and splits in 1971, its two major splinter factions - First Liberation Army and Second Liberation Army – served as the basis for the growth of new insurgent movements in the 1970s. Particularly the Second Liberation Army, which soon after the split from FROLINAT was reorganized as CCFAN (Conseil de Commandement des Forces Armeés du Nord, or Command Council of the Armed Forces of the North), proved decisive for the future Chadian conflict dynamics. In 1975, President Tombalabye was overthrown in a military coup, and subsequently replaced by General Félix Malloum. It was against this background that FAN eventually emerged, as the governmental conflict reignited in 1976.
Hissène Habré created FAN in 1976 following a rift within the CCFAN; the primary goal of the group was to overthrow the Government of Chad. Habré, one of CCFAN’s top commanders, had decided to leave the group following an increasing rivalry with its leader Goukouni Oueddei. One of the principal points of contention between Habré and Goukouni had been CCFAN’s relationship with Libya. Habré was vehemently opposed to any concession to Libya on the status of Aouzou Strip (which Libya had occupied in 1972), while Goukouni favored maintaining good relations to Libya in order to procure Libyan support to the armed struggle in Chad. Furthermore, while both Habré and Goukouni belonged to the Toubou tribe, they hailed from rival clans. As such, CCFAN split in two major factions: Habré’s FAN, and a faction loyal to Goukouni, which became known as FAP (Forces Armées Populaires, or “People’s Armed Forces”). Aside from Habré, one of FAN’s most prominent commanders was Mahamat Nouri.
In 1976, it was believed that FAN was comprised of around 1200 relatively poorly armed fighters. By 1979, Habré had access to around 1000 fighters, which were however better armed than in previous years; this figure remained relatively stable until 1982. The fighters were mainly drawn from the Toubou ethnic group, but FAN also included fighters from the Hajerai and Ouaddaian groups. The main stronghold of the group was found in eastern Chad, even if it on several occasion maintained a presence in and around the capital N’Djamena.
In 1981 and 1982, FAN received arms supplies from the US via Sudan and Egypt, and also weapons directly from Sudan and Egypt. Sudan also provided the rebels with sanctuary and training from 1979. FAN also received some French aid after February 1981, most likely advisors.
Between August 1978 and February 1979, FAN allied itself with the Government of Chad following the signing of the “Fundamental Charter” agreement by Habré and the President of Chad, Félix Malloum. As a result, FAN became part of the Government of Chad, and Habré was named Prime Minister. However, on 12 February 1979, Habré staged a coup, and his FAN forces attacked N’Djamena; from this date, FAN thus reemerged as a non-state actor in the UCDP data. Later, FAN was one of the signatories to the “Lagos Accord on National Reconciliation in Chad”, signed on 21 August 1979, which established the “Transitional Government of National Unity” (Gouvernement d'Union Nationale de Transition, or GUNT). Thus, FAN again became part of the Government of Chad in November 1979, as Habré was named Minister of National Defense in the GUNT. However, FAN reneged on the agreement in March 1980, and again became a separate non-state actor. Following fierce fighting in N’Djamena, and a subsequent Libyan intervention, Habré fled to Sudan in late 1980. FAN was then reconstituted in eastern Chad in late 1981, and was able to resume its campaign against the government.
On 7 June 1982, FAN successfully ousted GUNT, which was led by the former CCFAN and FAP leader Goukouni Oueddei; consequently, Habré replaced Goukouni as President of Chad. After this date, FAN was thus considered as the Government of Chad in the UCDP data, and ceased to exist as a separate non-state actor.
