Among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate, Ouaddai (Wadai) is almost exclusively referred to as a historic region, a contemporary prefecture or as a linguistic group (The New Encyclopaedia Brittanica 1989, 8; Country Handbook, 1990, 10-11, 49-51). References to "Ouaddian" or "Ouaddai" people are usually interpreted as references to people from the Ouaddai area (prefecture), and not to a homogenous ethnic or tribal group.

The only reference to the Ouaddai as an ethnic group among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate is found in a United Nations document, providing 1993 statistics from the Central Census Bureau, Ministry of Planning and Cooperation. The statistics are incorporated into a table showing the "Distribution of the population by residential environment, according to ethnic group". The Ouaddai are shown as comprising 541,282 persons, or 8.7% of the population, with 85,837 living in urban areas and 455,445 in rural environments (1997, 6). The same publication lists the population of the Ouaddai prefecture in 1993 as 543,900 persons (ibid., 3).

The following discussion sheds light on the geographic and ethnic diversity of the Ouaddai linguistic group and is taken from the Area Handbook series publication, Chad: A Country Study:

The origins of Ouaddaïan languages remain obscure, although their distribution implies origins farther east, an interpretation supported by oral traditions. Speakers of Ouaddaïan languages may have moved westward to avoid Arab immigration from the east. Another theory suggests that speakers of Ouaddaïan languages once were continuously distributed throughout the region but subsequently lost ground as the population accepted Arabic.

Although some authorities separate Tama, Dadjo, and Mimi, others consider them to be part of a larger Ouaddaïan group, a linguistic archipelago stretching from western Sudan to central Chad. In Chad they are found in Biltine, Ouaddaï, and Guéra prefectures.

Tama languages are spoken in Biltine and northern Ouaddaï Prefectures, and include Tama, Marari (Abou Charib), Sungor, Kibet, Mourro, and Dagel. The Tama speakers, who live in eastern Biltine Prefecture near the Sudanese border, are the largest of these groups. Although they live in the arid Sahel, crop rotation has allowed them to settle in permanent villages. The Tama live in cantons of several thousand people, each administered by a canton chief. For several centuries, central authority has been vested in sultans believed to be of Dadjo origin, who are enthroned in ceremonies at the ruins of Nir, the precolonial capital.

The Marari and Abou Charib, sedentary peoples sharing a Tama language, live south and west, respectively, of the Tama in Ouaddaï Prefecture. Although they speak a Tama language, their traditions suggest descent from the Tunjur, migrants from Sudan who once ruled the sultanate of Wadai (see Bagirmi and Wadai , ch. 1). To the west of the Tama and northwest of the Marari and Abou Charib are the Sungor, another sedentary population. The Sungor consider themselves to be of Yemeni ancestry, a popular and prestigious Islamic pedigree among Muslims of the region. Despite speaking a Tama language, Sungor society and customs most resemble those of the Maba.

The Dadjo language has eastern and western dialects. Once the rulers of the sultanate of Wadai, the Dadjo people were separated into two groups during the fifteenth century. At that time, the Tunjur conquered Wadai, and some Dadjo people fled west. The eastern Dadjo remained in southern present-day Ouaddaï Prefecture and, following defeat by the Tunjur, founded a new sultanate with its capital at Goz Béïda. Their descendants are primarily farmers. The western Dadjo live among the Hajerai peoples of northern Guéra Prefecture. Cognizant of their common origin, the eastern and western groups permit intermarriage.

Mimi is the least frequently spoken Ouaddaïan language. Mimi speakers who live in the plains use Arabic to communicate with their neighbors; Mimi speakers who live in the mountains generally speak Zaghawa with other highland dwellers. (1990, 49-51).

Specific information as to whether Ouaddai speaking people are members of the Front National du Tchad (FNT) could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. In a report on Chad, Empty Promises: Human Rights Violations Continue with Impunity, Amnesty International states that

In January 1994, one of the armed opposition groups, the FNT - led by Al Harris Bachar, based in the Ouaddaï region on the Sudanese border and claiming at least 4,000 fighters - seized the town of Abéché for several hours. (1995, 4)

The Political Handbook of the World, 1997 describes the FNT as "a rebel force operating in central and eastern Chad", led by Alarit Bachar, Secretary General (1997, 159). The entry states that although peace agreements were signed between the government and the FNT in 1992 and 1994, elements within the FNT rejected the agreements and continued fighting (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate 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. Please see below a list of the additional sources consulted in researching this Response.

Amnesty International. 27 April 1995. Chad: Empty Promises: Human Rights Violations Continue with Impunity. (AI Index: AFR20/03/95) London: Amnesty International

Chad: A Country Study. 1990. Edited by Thomas Collelo. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army. [Internet] http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/tdtoc.html>

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989. 15th ed. Vol. 9. Edited by Philip W. Goetz. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Political Handbook of the World 1997. 1997.

United Nations. 1997. International Human Rights Instruments. Core Document Forming Part of the Reports of States Parties Chad. HRI/CORE/1/Add.88

Africa Analysis [London]. 1996 -1998

Africa Confidential [London]. 1996 -1998

Africa Research Bulletin [London]. 1996 -1998

Africa South of the Sahara 1998. 1998. 27th Ed. London: Europa Publications.

Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 1996. 13th ed. Edited by Barbara F. Grimes. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics. [Internet] http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/countries/Chad.html

Extremist Groups: An International Compilation of Terrorist Organizations, Violent Political groups, and Issue-Oriented Militant Movements. 1996. Edited by John Murray and Richard H. Ward. Chicago: Office of International Criminal Justice.

Keesing's Summary of World Events. 1996 -1998

La lettre du continent [Paris]. 1996 -1998

La Lettre Hebdomadaire de la FIDH. [Paris]. 1996 -1998

Minority Rights Group International. 1997. World Directory of Minorities. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK.

Political Parties of Africa and the Middle East: A Reference Guide. 1993. Edited by Roger East and Tanya Joseph. London: Longman.

Resource Centre country file on Chad. 1996 - 1998.

Resource Centre Amnesty International file on Chad. 1996 - 1998.

Electronic sources: IRB databases, Internet, LEXIS/NEXIS, REFWORLD, WNC.