French charity lied, UNICEF says in Chad kidnapping case
France has backed Chad in condemning a French charity whose workers were arrested for trying to smuggle out 103 children, claiming falsely — according to UNICEF — that they were Darfurian orphans in urgent need of medical help.
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CBC News · Posted: Oct 29, 2007 11:22 AM ET | Last Updated: October 29, 2007
France has backed Chadin condemning a French charity whose workers were arrested for trying to smuggle 103 children out of the African country, claiming falsely — according to UNICEF — that they were Darfurian orphans in urgent need of medical help.
Chadian President Idriss Deby visits with some of the children in the eastern city of Abeche on Friday. ((Drahim Adji/Chad Presidency/Associated Press))
Authorities in Chad detained at least nine French nationals and at least seven crewmen from a Spanish aircraft last Thursday. They are charged with "kidnapping and child trafficking."
Six of the French workers were with the aid group Arche de Zoe (Zoe's Ark), while three were apparently French journalists. Questions are now swirling over whether the Zoe's Ark volunteers were who they claimed to be, or whether the organization was a front for an adoption scheme.
According to the organization, the children —whose ages range from one to 12 — were victims of war who were facing death in the Darfur region of Sudan. Zoe's Ark claimed the children were being evacuated from the region and set up with host families in France who were offering $2,800 to pay for their medical treatment abroad.
UNICEF said the group's story is bogus.
Officials from the UN children's organization interviewed the 103 children in the eastern Chadian city of Abeche and said that bandages placed on the children concealed no wounds. In fact, most of the children appeared to be healthy. UNICEF also concluded that most of the children were not even from Darfur, but lived in Chad.
"There is no reason to believe they are orphans," UNICEF said in a statement.
Bribed with lollipops
New reports said the children were bribed to leave their homes withlollipops and biscuits.
One of the children, 10-year-old Hamsa Brahim, told the Associated Press his father gave him permission to follow "the whites" because "they said they would enrol us in school."
"They came four times to take children from our village — many children went with them," said the boy, who lives in the village of Adikoum on the border between Chad and Sudan.
Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno called the incident a "sad case" that was "illegal and unacceptable."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France was fully co-operating with Chad's government in investigating Zoe's Ark.
'This operation should not have happened': French official
France had been monitoring the organization for months and was aware of the organization's plan, said French Human Rights Minister Rama Yade.
The minister said she and otherFrench officials tried to dissuade the group from carrying out the scheme and "did everything possible" to stop it, eventually tipping of Chadian authorities before they were able to fly the children out of the country.
According to Yade, Zoe's Ark operated previously under the name Children Rescue, but changed its name in order to go undetected once in Chad.
Paris is "totally in agreement with President Deby's saying that this operation should not have happened," Yade said.
Of the three French journalists who were arrested, two were covering the operation and one was participating for personal reasons,according to the media watchdoggroup Reporters Without Borders.
The children are now being cared for in a compound in Abeche.
With files from the Associated Press
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Deby vows to punish group who planned to fly children to France 1. Various of Chadian President Idriss Deby looking at Gir Jet plane on tarmac 2. Wide of children (who were being taken to France) sitting on the floor, with Red Cross workers around them UPSOUND: children crying 3. Various of children, many of whom are crying, as Red Cross workers assist them UPSOUND: children crying 4. Various of Deby meeting children 5. Pan across children 6. Members of "Children Rescue" team standing up 7. Deby talking to aid worker (no name given) UPSOUND: (French) Deby: "Are you usually doing this?" Aid worker: "No this is the first time. We were really guaranteed that these children were orphans and had no father or mother. If we were lied to, we really weren't aware of it." 8. Close-up of logo on back of jacket reading: "Children Rescue" pull out to members of team talking to Deby 9. SOUNDBITE: (French/Spanish) Agustin Rey Torre, Gir Jet pilot: "We have a humanitarian permit from Chad 1489. That's all we know." 10. Close-up pilot's badge 11. Deby talking to pilot UPSOUND: (French) Deby: "You are actively helping paedophile organisations." Torre: "No no Sir. We are Spanish." Deby: " Spanish or some other, you will get the penalty you deserve." 12. "Children Rescue" team in handcuffs being led out by soldiers 13. Flight crew 14. SOUNDBITE: (French) Idriss Deby, Chadian President: "Take them (referring to the children) to Europe, is it to sell them to paedophile organisations? This is in my opinion obvious from what I've seen, from what I've seen here and I would never have wanted in my life to see this. Or perhaps they would have killed them and sold their organs." 15. Deby looking at documents 16. SOUNDBITE: (French) Idriss Deby, Chadian President: "It's inadmissible in the 21st century. The entire world needs to witness this. We are going to take all the necessary steps, administrative and judicial to shed light on the kidnapping of the children from Chad and Sudanese refugees." 17. Flight team sitting on the ground in handcuffs 18. Pan across "Children rescue" staff and flight team on the ground in handcuffs STORYLINE Seven crew members of a plane contracted to fly more than 100 children out of Chad were detained and Chad's president promised punishment for anyone involved in a plan to spirit the children to Europe. President Idriss Deby travelled on Friday to the eastern city of Abeche where 103 children were being cared for after authorities arrested nine French citizens, who had attempted to fly them to France. Deby accused the crew of helping paedophile organisations. "This is in my opinion obvious from what I've seen, from what I've seen here and I would never have wanted in my life to see this. Or perhaps they would have killed them and sold their organs," Deby told AP Television late on Friday. Deby said he was traumatised by what he saw. "The entire world needs to witness this. We are going to take all the necessary steps, administrative and judicial to shed light on the kidnapping of the children from Chad and Sudanese refugees." The French aid group L'Arche de Zoe, or Zoe's Arc, said it had arranged French host families for the children. It said they were orphans from Sudan's Darfur region. But the head of UNICEF France, Jacques Hintzy, said on Saturday that many of the children appeared to be from Chad, not Sudan. He also said the children were given bandages to provide the impression their evacuation was health-related, though none was injured. AP Television footage filmed on Friday shows Deby, visiting with the children, many of them in tears. Deby also met with the nine French workers and the flight crew. Deby later accused the pilot of "actively helping paedophile organisations" an allegation which Torre denied. ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2VyTT9muJE
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