French Charity in Hot Water Over Chad Adoption Plan

By Brent Surgeoner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Europe

ABECHE, Chad – Sixteen European citizens were detained on Thursday by Chadian authorities over a plan to fly 103 Sudanese orphans to France.

The French charity group responsible for the plan, Zoe’s Ark (L’Arche de Zoe), claims it was “rescuing” the children from the violence in Darfur.  The group’s website read “the survival of these children depends on action.  Now!  The children will be dead in a few months.”

Zoe’s Ark claims that the authorities in Chad knew of its plans, however Chadian officials have argued the opposite.

Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno condemned the actions of Zoe’s Ark as “inhumane” and “unacceptable.”  He stated that those involved will be “severely punished.”

According to reports Zoe’s Ark’s operation was supported by over 300 families in France and one in Belgium.  Families were asked to donate around $3400 per child.  Many waited at an airport in Vatry, France on Thursday night for the children to arrive.

According to France’s Foreign Ministry, some of those families were told they could adopt these children.  However, neither Sudan nor Chad allow for international adoptions.

“Only the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, is responsible for movement of Sudanese refugees settled in the east of Chad,” said General Touka Ramadan Korei, a governor in an eastern region in Chad.

The Foreign Ministry had warned Zoe’s Ark about such an operation back in August, alerting the group that it might be breaking international law.  There are strict rules about verifying the orphan status of the children in these situations.

Although unconfirmed by aid workers, many of the 103 children are claiming they are not orphans.  They have told reporters that they were enticed to leave their homes with offers of biscuits, money, and education while their parents worked in the fields.

For now, the children have been placed in the care of UNICEF, UNHCR, the Red Cross, and Chadian authorities.  The authorities are trying to determine where all of the children came from so they can return them to their families.

Aid workers report that the children are in good health, despite contentions from Zoe’s Ark that the children were in need of medical treatment.    The majority of the children fall within the three to five-year-old range.

Zoe’s Ark is adamant about its good intentions, arguing it was in no way involved in child-trafficking.  The French government, the Chadian government, and international aid agencies have all condemned the actions of Zoe’s Ark as irresponsible and in violation of international law.

The 16 individuals being detained include 3 French journalists, 6 members of Zoe’s Ark, and 7 Spanish flight crew members from the Girjet charter company hired to transport the children.

Under Chadian law, suspects may be detained for 72 hours with the option of extended detention for an additional 48 hours for further investigation.

For more information, please see:

Reuters - Chad children say were offered sweets to leave home - 28 October 2007

BBC - Spanish plane crew held in Chad - 27 October 2007

Yahoo (AP) - Questions over plan for Darfur children - 26 October 2007

Reuters - CHAD: French NGO accused of trafficking children - 26 October 2007

BBC - French held over Chad 'adoptions' -  26 October 2007