Mounted on tracks in a slow procession, the war weary Chadian National Army (ANT) soldiers were in an agitated shouting march attempting to outdo one another as they celebrated what has come to be described as a "decisive victory" against rebel forces.
"Morale! Morale!" the soldiers shouted loudly for every one to hear as the reality of a sweat-worn victory during the so-called battle of Am Zoer, 80 km north-east of Abeche, capital of the eastern region, started to dawn on them.
There was a burst of Kalashnikov fire here and there in the celebrations that were punctuated by a dizzying noise in the small town of a few hundred inhabitants situated in a small plot surrounded by sandy hills and small shrubs.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the village was the epicenter of heavy fighting between government forces and fighters from the Chadian National Alliance, a coalition of several rebel factions.
To witness the occasion is a litany of government ministers, senior government officials, senior leaders from the ruling Patriotic Movement for Salvation (MPS) of President Idriss Deby Itno, prefects and sub-prefects.
They have all traveled hundreds of kilometers to celebrate with the "troops who fought gallantly to defend their homeland," in the words of Gen. Toucan Ramadan Korea, Chief of the General Staff of the Chadian Army.
The visibly jubilant soldiers seem to be out to make propaganda capital out of the victory as, among the invited guests to mark the occasion, is about a dozen Chadian journalists, who have been specifically asked "to describe the glorious event and convey the good news" to the masses.
There are war-ready tanks milling around scooping chunks of sand and firing them into the air. In addition, hundreds of pick-up trucks are filled with soldiers who for the umpteenth time proclaim: "Moral! Moral!" signifying that it is time to celebrate.
"Yes, we won. The fighting was difficult," says Sgt. Mohamed Saleh Hasoun from atop his pick-up. By his side, a colleague brandishes his "bazooka" on the side with a bouquet of rockets. He jubilantly said: "This is what I gave the enemy," before breaking into a hearty laugh.
Soon, one of the many child-soldiers fighting alongside the regular troops emerges shouting at the top of lungs, but as quickly as he appears he is ordered to leave by a senior officer ostensibly "to prevent him from talking to the reporters."
Moments later, senior military officers disappear into a house only to emerge with a group of about twenty visibly tired rebel prisoners, whose faces speaks of defeat, humiliation...
Some of the clothes of the soldiers, who include child soldiers, are stained with blood, obviously once again pointing to the heavy fighting that was reported during battle for the tiny mountainous village.
Among the twenty war prisoners, there were five who are badly wounded. They were asked to stand up and hold ammunition, rockets. One of the wounded collapsed, but nobody paid attention. Not even his comrades, who were visibly intimidated by presence of hundreds of government soldiers surrounding them.
One of the prisoners admitted that he was a retired military officer and had enrolled in the rebellion during the botched rebel offensive that almost succeeded in overthrowing President Idriss Deby Itno in early February due to poverty. Another of the prisoners, a young man, confessed that he ran away from his father, who used to abuse him...
"Moral! Moral" screamed Nadjalta Mirangay, a senior military officer and a former senior government minister as he lined up to be photographed along the people he now described as "unfortunate losers."
"The battle was very violent," says a Chadian officer, adding that the rebel had taken defensive position before they are forced to flee from the village under the barrage of helicopter gun-ships.
The presence of several burnt out pick-ups scattered across the village was a clear indication that "the fighting was not in favor of the rebels," according to one Chadian journalist, who bowed down to say a little prayer after witnessing the devastation that had been visited upon the village.
However as he pointed out, there was a destroyed tank and Chadian-marked army pick-up, an indication that the rebels had probably also inflicted more damage than the official government figures, which reveald that 162 rebel were killed as the government lost six soldier during the fight for control of the town.
As the day was wearing on, government vehicles were slowly returning from "hunting the rebels" who were forced to scatter by regular forces. "Moral! Moral!" soldiers cried as they brought four pick-ups driven by rebels who surrendered. "They may be eligible to integrate the army," said a senior military officer as he embarked on a long road trip back to the regional capital Abeche.
On the way back to Abeche, there were countless pick-up trucks making their way up the road. "The wind seems to have turned in favor of the army, which appears to have taken the rebels by storm," commented one journalist as soldiers continued to shout "Moral! Moral."
Source:Xinhua
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