Codos
Encyclopedia
The Codos or Commandos were guerrilla groups, active in southern Chad
from 1983 to 1986, that resisted domination of their region by the President
Hissène Habré
's army. Many were veterans of the government army of the 1970s or Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
's Chadian Armed Forces
(FAT), which had collapsed in 1982 under Habré's attacks with the short-lived Republic of Logone. Totaling as many as 15,000, they operated independently.
There were, in 1983, five codos groups. These were the Red Codos (Codos Rouge), commanded by Alphonse Kotiga
, based in Moyen-Chari
; the Coconut Codos (Codos Cocotieres), of Elie Atanga and Elea Djoack, in Mayo-Kebbi; the Green Codos (Codos Vert) of Pierre Tokino in Logone Oriental
; the Hope Codos (Codos Espoir) of Kayer in Tandjile
; and the Panther Codos (Codos Panthères) of Koulangar in Logone Occidental
. They were supported by the Central African Republic
, who offered them sanctuary in its borders. Habré at first attempted negotiations, making Defence minister a former leader of the codos; but when discussions broke down, the President resorted, in August 1984, to force and wide-scale fighting erupted in four of the five southern Prefectures
, counting now on the support of the Central African President André Kolingba
. The Chadian National Armed Forces
(FANT) acted with rare brutality, destroying many villages and making itself guilty of wide-scale massacres of civilians. But it worked: in 1985, the greatest part of the south had been subdued.
The Red Codos, formed with Libya
n and GUNT support, were the most effective. Kotiga exercised some influence over the other groups and was instrumental in persuading them to abandon their insurgency by promises of rewards and rehabilitation in 1985 and 1986. Many have been "recycled" by French trainers at an instructional center at Mongo
, thousands of former codos (commandos) had been "recycled" by French
trainers, assisted by a large cadre of Chadian military. While about 1,500 have been assimilated into the FANT
, most have been organized into work brigades for service as agricultural or road laborers.
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
from 1983 to 1986, that resisted domination of their region by the President
Heads of state of Chad
-List of Heads of State of Chad:-Affiliations:-External links:**...
Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré , also spelled Hissen Habré, was the leader of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990.-Early life:...
's army. Many were veterans of the government army of the 1970s or Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué was a Chadian politician and former army officer. Kamougué was a leading figure in the 1975 coup d'état and since then he has held several positions in the Chadian government and legislature. He was Vice-President from 1979 to 1982 and was President of the National...
's Chadian Armed Forces
Chadian Armed Forces
The Chadian Armed Forces were the army of the central government of Chad from 1960 to 1979, under the southern presidents François Tombalbaye and Félix Malloum, until the downfall of the latter in 1979, when the head of the gendarmerie, Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué, assumed command...
(FAT), which had collapsed in 1982 under Habré's attacks with the short-lived Republic of Logone. Totaling as many as 15,000, they operated independently.
There were, in 1983, five codos groups. These were the Red Codos (Codos Rouge), commanded by Alphonse Kotiga
Alphonse Kotiga
Colonel Alphonse Kotiga, also known as Kotiga Guérina, was a Chadian military officer and politician. He was one of the leaders of the coup d'etat which overthrew and killed Chadian President François Tombalbaye on April 15, 1975, and then became a minister in the government of the new president,...
, based in Moyen-Chari
Moyen-Chari Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Moyen-Chari was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the south of the country, Moyen-Chari covered an area of 45,180 square kilometers and had a population of 738,595 in 1993....
; the Coconut Codos (Codos Cocotieres), of Elie Atanga and Elea Djoack, in Mayo-Kebbi; the Green Codos (Codos Vert) of Pierre Tokino in Logone Oriental
Logone Oriental Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Logone Oriental was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the southwest of the country, Logone Oriental covered an area of 28,035 square kilometers and had a population of 441,064...
; the Hope Codos (Codos Espoir) of Kayer in Tandjile
Tandjilé Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Tandjilé was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the southwest of the country, Tandjilé covered an area of 18,045 square kilometers and had a population of 453,854 in 1993. Its...
; and the Panther Codos (Codos Panthères) of Koulangar in Logone Occidental
Logone Occidental Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Logone Occidental was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the southwest of the country, Logone Occidental covered an area of 8,695 square kilometers and had a population of...
. They were supported by the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, who offered them sanctuary in its borders. Habré at first attempted negotiations, making Defence minister a former leader of the codos; but when discussions broke down, the President resorted, in August 1984, to force and wide-scale fighting erupted in four of the five southern Prefectures
Prefectures of Chad
Chad was divided into 14 prefectures from 1960, the year of independence, to 1999, when the country was divided in 28 departments:A further reorganisation in 2002 divided the country into the current 18 regions.NB : Alphabetic order...
, counting now on the support of the Central African President André Kolingba
André Kolingba
André-Dieudonné Kolingba was the fourth president of the Central African Republic , from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David Dacko in a bloodless coup d'état in 1981 and lost power to Ange-Félix Patassé in a democratic election held in 1993...
. The Chadian National Armed Forces
Chadian National Armed Forces
The Chadian National Armed Forces was the army of the central government of Chad from January 1983, when the President Hissène Habré's forces, in first place his personal Armed Forces of the North , were merged...
(FANT) acted with rare brutality, destroying many villages and making itself guilty of wide-scale massacres of civilians. But it worked: in 1985, the greatest part of the south had been subdued.
The Red Codos, formed with Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n and GUNT support, were the most effective. Kotiga exercised some influence over the other groups and was instrumental in persuading them to abandon their insurgency by promises of rewards and rehabilitation in 1985 and 1986. Many have been "recycled" by French trainers at an instructional center at Mongo
Mongo, Chad
Mongo is a city in Chad, the capital of the region of Guéra. It lies 252.2 miles by road east of the capital N'Djamena. It is served by Mongo Airport....
, thousands of former codos (commandos) had been "recycled" by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
trainers, assisted by a large cadre of Chadian military. While about 1,500 have been assimilated into the FANT
Chadian National Armed Forces
The Chadian National Armed Forces was the army of the central government of Chad from January 1983, when the President Hissène Habré's forces, in first place his personal Armed Forces of the North , were merged...
, most have been organized into work brigades for service as agricultural or road laborers.