Exploiting Tribal Identity: Evidence from the Darfur Conflict (2001-) and the Chad-Sudan Proxy War (2005-2010)

Using the case of the Darfur conflict (2001-) and the Chad-Sudan proxy war (2005-2010), this study will demonstrate that conflict in Chad and Sudan cannot be fully understood without taking into account how heads of state and rebel leaders in both countries manipulated tribal identities to retain and enhance power. It shows how Idriss Déby, a Zaghawa leader, held onto his tenuous position as President of Chad by leveraging tribal customs and symbols, while the Darfur conflict and the Chad-Sudan proxy war destabilized his rule. It also sheds light on the ways in which Darfuri and Chadian rebel leaders maneuvered within the tribal political system and manipulated patron-client relationships to maximize their independence vis-à-vis the state, to maximize their own power within their respective tribes, and to maximize their influence within their tribal alliances. This study makes use of newspapers, interviews, geospatial data, secondary sources and theoretical insights from anthropological studies of tribes to analyze the politicization of tribal identity and how it impacted Chad-Sudan relations from 2001 to 2010