February 12, 2010:  Chad has asked for the UN peacekeepers to leave, starting next month. NGOs oppose this, as they don't believe the Chad security forces can control the bandits and warlords who will become stronger, and more dangerous, once the peacekeepers leave. But the NGOs can only whine and issue press releases, and this annoys the Chad government, which has guns and a tendency to use them on its enemies.

February 10, 2010: Chadian president Idriss Deby went to Sudan, to meet with the Sudanese leader, and complete negotiations for a peace deal. Both heads of state face elections (Chad in two months, Sudan next year) and have concluded that the practice of giving sanctuary for their neighbors rebels, was not worth the trouble. But neither country has strong control over their mutual border. It's a sparsely populate, semi-desert area long ruled by local tribes. The two countries  promise to work together to control the tribal factions and warlords who raid across the border.

February 6, 2010:  An NGO aid worker, kidnapped last November, was released. The kidnappers were apparently tribal bandits. Another NGO worker, taken last October, is still captive. It's uncertain if a ransom was paid.