IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor): „Information on Bichara Digui, a founder of the National Council for Recovery (NCR), and his family members [TCD27406.E]“, Dokument #1277678

Information on Bichara Digui, a founder of the National Council for Recovery (NCR), and his family members [TCD27406.E]

Information on Bichara Digui and his family members is scarce among the sources consulted by the DIRB.

According to a 26 April 1995 Associated Press (AP) report, Bichara and his brother Ahmat Digui were arbitrarily arrested in N'Djamena by the Chadian security forces and detained for over one year. Various reports state that Bichara Digui, chairman of the National Council for Recovery (CNR), was shot dead in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena in August 1996 (Africa News 2 Apr. 1997; RFI 14 Oct. 1996; ibid. 19 Aug. 1996; AP 25 Mar. 1997; Reuters 17 Aug. 1996; La Lettre du Continent 7 Nov. 1996).

Bichara Digui was from the Koubes, which is a subgroup of President Idriss Deby's Zaghawa ethnic group (Reuters 17 Aug. 1997; La Lettre du Continent 7 Nov. 1996). However, during the first round of Chadian presidential election in June 1996, he supported Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDI) president Lol Mahamat Choua (Reuters 17 Aug. 1996). The sources state that the authorities have taken no action to find and bring Bichara's murders to justice (AP 25 Mar. 1997; Africa News 2 Apr. 1997).

La Lettre du Continent also states that after Bichara's death, members of the Koubes subgroup, including Mahamat Ali Nassour, Ambassador of Chad in France and nephew of Bichara, were intimidated by President Idriss's security forces (7 Nov. 1996).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Africa News [Durham, NC]. 2 April 1997. "Chad; Amnesty Says 'Hope Betrayed' in Chad." (NEXIS)

The Associated Press (AP). 25 March 1997. "Amnesty Decries Lack of Respect for Human Rights in Chad." (NEXIS)

_____. 26 April 1995. "Amnesty International Says Chad Makes Empty Promises." (NEXIS)

La Lettre du Continent [Paris]. 7 November 1996. "Influence soudanaise." (NEXIS)

Radio France Internationale (RFI) [Paris, in French]. 14 October 1996. "Amnesty Official on Human Rights Abuses; Foreign Minister Responds." (BBC Summary 17 Oct. 1996/NEXIS)

_____. 19 August 1996. "'Former Comrade-in-Arms' of Abbas Koty Killed." (BBC Summary 21 Aug. 1996/NEXIS)

Reuters. 17 August 1996. BC Cycle. "Gunman Kills Opposition Politician in Chad." (NEXIS)

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