SUMMARY
FAP (Forces Armées Populaires, or “People’s Armed Forces”) 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 FAP eventually emerged, as the governmental conflict reignited in 1976.
FAP was created in 1976 following a rift within CCFAN; the primary goal of the group was to overthrow the Government of Chad. The fragmentation of CCFAN was the result of increasing friction between two of its top leaders, Goukouni Oueddei and Hissène Habré. 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 the rivalry between the two escalated, Habré decided to abandon CCFAN. As such, CCFAN split in two major factions: a faction loyal to Goukouni that became known as FAP, and Habré’s FAN (Forces Armées du Nord, or “Armed Forces of the North”). FAP was closely linked to the Teda clan of the Toubou ethnic group, which hailed from the Tibesti area in northern Chad. In 1976, FAP was comprised of around 4000 fighters; this number dropped to around 1000 in 1979.
In 1977, FAP fighters from the Kanemnu ethnic group, led by Aboubaker Abderrahmane, left the group to form its own outfit, which became known as the “Third Liberation Army of FROLINAT”. This splinter faction later renamed itself MPLT (Movement Populaire pour la Liberation du Tchad, or Popular Movement for the Liberation of Chad).
In 1977 and the first half of 1978, Libya provided FAP with weapons as well as other forms of material and logistic support. This support was discontinued in mid-1978, whn Libya transferred its support to the Vulcan Wing, another FROLINAT splinter faction led by Ahmat Acyl.
On 15 March 1979, FAP was one of the parties that signed the Kano Accords, which included a ceasefire and provisions for the formation of a National Transitional Union Government (Gouvernement d'Union Nationale de Transition, or GUNT). On 21 August, new negotiations resulted in the “Lagos Accord on National Reconciliation in Chad”, signed by 11 major Chadian factions, including FAP. As part of the Lagos agreement, Goukouni Oueddei was appointed President in the new GUNT administration. After this date, FAP thus ceased to exist as a separate actor in the UCDP data, and instead became part of the GUNT-led Government of Chad. After Habré’s FAN seized government power in June 1982, FAP was one of the ex-government factions that comprised the GUNT umbrella rebel organization.
