France vs Libya in Chad 1980-1987
Col Muhmar Qadhafi had a hunger for his neighbor to the south
Between 1980 and 1987 Libyan forces of Col Muhmar Qadhafi invaded its neighbor Chad three times, ultimately being forced out by France.
Upon achieving independence in 1960, Chad joined in a multilateral military assistance agreement with France. The agreement provided France with use of a military base outside N'Djamena in return for providing defense of Chad if requested. After supplying several thousand troops to secure the region during the late sixty and early 1970s however, France had withdrawn all but a few advisors from the country by 1980.
In 1975 Libya, controlled by former Army Colonel Qadhafi occupied and subsequently annexed the Aouzou Strip a 70,000-square-kilometer area which formed the mutual border of north Chad and Libya border. It was thought that large deposits of uranium were in this desolate area.
In June 1980 Libya sent a further group of troops into Chad on behalf of President Goukouni Oueddei against the French-backed forces of Hissein Habré. The Libyan force was made up of 10,000 troops, spearheaded by 60 Soviet made T-55 tanks, and contained advisors from both the East German and Soviet Armies. This force overwhelmed the poorly equipped Chadian military and the Libyans seized the capital of N'Djamena by the end of the year. International pressure and an overextended supply line (some 1100kms long!) prompted the Libyans to withdraw in 1981. Under increasingly insistent pressure from other African countries and from political factions in Chad, the Libyans withdrew in November 1981. They continued however to support the rebels under Oueddei and provide him with training and arms.
When the rebel forces were faced with defeat in July 1983 Qadhafi sent in his air force, attacking Chadian forces at Faya Largeau using Su-22 fighters as well as Tu22 Bombers. Two weeks later a Libyan ground force again invaded and occupied the northern regions of the country. The French launched Operation Manta, a 3000 man task force of ground troops accompanied by fighter aircraft and air defense systems that ended the Libyan successes and led to division of the country along the 16th parallel. Both France and Libya agreed to remove their troops from Chad in November 1984.
The French did, the Libyans didn't.
In February 1986, France initiated Operation Epervier. The operation moved to Chad 1,400 troops of the French Foreign Legion as well as other elite units, backed by air defense units. In December 1986 a French organized offensive with these forces as well as 3,000 Chadian government troops equipped with trucks mounted antitank weapons crossed the 16th parallel and began a campaign to force the Libyans out. The use of small pickup trucks mounting large weapons led to the conflict being nicknamed the 'Toyota Wars". Over the next six months the larger Libyan forces were handed several defeats at Fada, Ouadi Doum, and Faya Largeau. The Libyans withdrew and evacuated the country for good by May 1987. It was estimated that some 3000 Libyan soldiers (out of a 5000 man force) were killed or captured during the campaign. They left behind all of their equipment as they retreated including high performance aircraft, tanks, and artillery.
This ended the twelve years of Libyan military expeditions into its neighbor and the government of Col Qadhafi has since normalized relations with the Western world. The arab partisans that Qaghafi supported later were to morph into the Janjaweed militia who were to set fire to the Darfur region of the Sudan. However it should be noted that France, long the keeper of the North African desert, still conducts exercises in Chad and has a group of advisors with the local forces. Mirage jet fighters still deploy to the country and patrol the deserts from time to time.
Just in case.
