{{For, the Spanish municipality, Codos, Aragon
The Codos or Commandos were guerrilla groups, active in southern
Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
from 1983 to 1986, that resisted domination of their region by the President
Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré (Arabic: ''Ḥusaīn Ḥabrī'', Chadian Arabic: ; ; 13 August 1942 – 24 August 2021), also spelled Hissen Habré, was a Chadian politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 5th president of Chad from 1982 unt ...
's army. Many were veterans of the government army of the 1970s or
Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué (May 20, 1939 – May 9, 2011) was a Chadian politician and army officer. Kamougué was a leading figure in the 1975 coup d'état and subsequently held several positions in the Chadian government and legislature. He wa ...
's
Chadian Armed Forces
The Chadian Armed Forces (''Forces Armées Tchadiennes'' or FAT) were the army of the central government of Chad from 1960 to 1979, under the southern presidents François Tombalbaye and Félix Malloum, until the downfall of the latter in 1979, ...
(FAT), which had collapsed in 1982 under Habré's attacks with the short-lived
Republic of Logone
The Republic of Logone (), also known as Dar El-Kuti (), is a partially realized, self-declared autonomous region and proto-state internationally recognised as part of the Central African Republic. It was formed by the Muslim rebel movement Po ...
. Totaling as many as 15,000, they operated independently.
There were, in 1983, five codos groups. These were the Red Codos (''Codos Rouge''), commanded by Alphonse Kotiga, based in Moyen-Chari; the Coconut Codos (''Codos Cocotieres''), of Elie Atanga and Elea Djoack, in Mayo-Kebbi; the Green Codos (''Codos Vert'') of Pierre Tokino in Logone Oriental; the Hope Codos (''Codos Espoir'') of Kayer in Tandjile; and the Panther Codos (''Codos Panthères'') of Koulangar in Logone Occidental. They were supported by the
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...
, who offered them sanctuary in its borders. Habré at first attempted negotiations, making Defence minister a former leader of the ''codos''; but when discussions broke down, the President resorted, in August 1984, to force and wide-scale fighting erupted in four of the five southern
Prefectures
A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...
, counting now on the support of the Central African President
André Kolingba
André-Dieudonné Kolingba (12 August 1936 – 7 February 2010) was a Central African politician, who was the fourth President of the Central African Republic (CAR), from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President Davi ...
. The
Chadian National Armed Forces
The Chadian National Armed Forces (, FANT) was the army of the central government of Chad from January 1983, when the President Hissène Habré's forces, in first place his personal Armed Forces of the North (FAN), were merged. Consisting of about ...
(FANT) acted with rare brutality, destroying many villages and making itself guilty of wide-scale massacres of civilians. But it worked: in 1985, the greatest part of the south had been subdued.
The Red Codos, formed with
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
n and
GUNT
The Gunt (, ''Ghund'' or Аличур ''Alichur'', historically in English also ''Ghund'') is a river in the south of Tajikistan, north of the Shughnon Range. It is long and has a basin area of .Mongo, thousands of former codos (commandos) had been "recycled" by
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
trainers, assisted by a large cadre of Chadian military. While about 1,500 have been assimilated into the FANT, most have been organized into work brigades for service as agricultural or road laborers.