The Toyota War (Arabic: ???????? ? ? Arb T? Y? T? , French: Guerre des Toyota ) is the usual name given in the last phase of the Chadian- Libya, which occurred in 1987 in North Chad and on the Libyan-Chad border. The name is taken from the Toyota pickup truck used, especially Toyota Hilux and Toyota Land Cruiser, to provide mobility for Chad's troops as they fight against Libya. The 1987 war resulted in a massive defeat for Libya, which, according to American sources, lost one-tenth of its troops, with 7,500 people killed and $ 1.5 billion worth of military equipment destroyed or caught. Chad's loss is 1,000 people killed.
The war began with the occupation of Libya in northern Chad in 1983, when Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi refused to recognize the legitimacy of President Chad HissÃÆ'¨ne HabrÃÆ' Ã… ©, militarily endorsing efforts by the opposition National Transitional Administration (GUNT) to overthrow Habrà ©. The plan was thwarted by the French intervention which, first with Operation Manta and then with Operation Epervier, expands Libya's expanse to 16th parallel north, in the driest and rarely inhabited part of Chad.
In 1986, GUNT rebelled against Gaddafi, abolishing Libya as the main cover of legitimacy for its military presence in Chad. Seeing an opportunity to unite Chad behind him, HabrÃÆ'Â © ordered his troops to pass the 16th parallel so as to connect with the GUNT rebels (who fought Libya in Tibesti) in December. A few weeks later a larger army attacked Fada, destroying the local Libyan garrison. Within three months, combining guerrilla methods and conventional wars in general strategy, HabrÃÆ'Â © was able to reclaim almost all of northern Chad, and in subsequent months, inflicted a massive new defeat on Libya, until an end to conflict ceasefire was signed in September. The truce left the disputed Aouzou Strip issue, which was finally assigned to Chad by the International Court of Justice in 1994.
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Since 1983 Chad is partitioned de facto , with the northern half controlled by the United National Transitional Administration (GUNT) led by Goukouni Oueddei and supported by Libyan forces, while the southern region is held by the Western-backed Chad government guided by HissÃÆ'¨ne HabrÃÆ'Â ©. This partition in the 16th parallel (called the Red Line) became the zone of Libyan and French influences informally recognized by France in 1984, following an agreement between France and Libya to withdraw their troops from Chad. The deal is not respected by Libya, which maintains at least 3,000 people stationed in northern Chad.
During the period between 1984 and 1986, where no major clashes occurred, HabrÃÆ'  © strongly strengthened its position thanks to Western support and Libya's failure to honor the 1984 Franco-Libya treaty. From 1984 onwards, GUNT also suffered an increasing factional tension, centered on a fight between Goukouni and Acheikh ibn Oumar for the leadership of the organization. Taking advantage of the GUNT difficulties, HabrÃÆ' ©  © struck a series of agreements with smaller rebel factions, who abandoned GUNT in early 1986 with only three of eleven factions initially signed the Lagos Accord in 1979. The remaining faction is Goukouni People's Armed Forces (FAP), the armed branch of the Acheikh Democratic Revolutionary Council (CDR) and part of the Chad Armed Forces (FAT) that has maintained its loyalty to Wadel Abdelkader Kamouguà ©  ©.
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At the opening of 1987, the last year of the war, Libyan expedition forces were still impressive, consisting of 8,000 soldiers, 300 tanks, multiple rocket launchers (artillery rockets) and ordinary artillery pieces, Mi-24 helicopters and sixty fighter planes. These powers do not have an integrated command, but are divided into the Southern Operational Group, active in Tibesti with 2,500 people, and the Eastern Operations Group, centered in Faya-Largeau.
Apparently tough, Libya's military disposition in Chad was damaged by a serious handicap. Libya is prepared for a war in which they will provide ground and air support for their Chad allies, act as infantry assaults, and provide reconnaissance. However, in 1987, Muammar Gaddafi lost his allies, exposing Libya's lack of knowledge about the area. The Libyan Garrison comes to resemble remote and fragile islands in the Chadian Sahara. What is also important is the low spirit among the troops, fighting in a foreign country, and Libya's structural military chaos, partly caused by Muammar Gaddafi's fear of a military coup against him. This fear urged him to avoid the professionalization of the armed forces.
Libya also has to deal with the National Armed Forces (FANT), which consists of 10,000 highly motivated troops, led by experienced and capable commanders, such as Idriss DÃÆ'Â © by, Hassan Djamous and Head of State HissÃÆ'¨ne HabrÃÆ'Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â And while the previous FANT did not have air power, limited mobility and some anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft weapons, in 1987 it was able to rely on the French Air Force to keep Libyan aircraft groundless and, most importantly, to provide 400 states of the art Toyota pickup equipped with MILAN anti-tank missiles. These trucks give the name "Toyota War" in the last phase of the Chadian-Libyan conflict.
Libyan expulsion
HabrÃÆ' Â © was chosen as the first target to reclaim Chad north of Libya's well-fortified communications base from Fada. It was defended by 2,000 Libyans and mostly militia of the Democratic Revolutionary Council (CDR) (the closest ally of Kadhafi), which is equipped with armor and artillery. Hassan Djamous, the thirty-year-old FANT commander, launched around 4,000-5,000 people against the Libyan Fada garrison. Taking advantage of his incredible knowledge of the battlefield, which seems to include an unknown access point to the base, Djamous avoids frontal assaults and uses his high army mobility to encircle Libya's position and then releases his troops, destroying the lasting garrison. In battle, 784 Libyans were killed and 100 tanks destroyed, while only 50 Fant soldiers died.
The unexpected defeat shocked Gaddafi, who then reacted on 4 January by recalling to serve all the army's reserve troops. In an act of defiance against France, he also ordered the bombing of Arada, far south of parallel 16. France responded with a new airstrike on Ouadi Doum and destroyed their radar system, effectively blinding Libyan Air Force in Chad for several months. Gaddafi tried to resist the FANT threat by rushing several new battalions to Chad (mainly to Faya-Largeau and Ouadi Doum), including elite Revolutionary Guard units. This brought the number of Libyan troops in the country to a total of 11,000 in March.
In March 1987, Libya's main air base Ouadi Doum was captured by Chad forces. Although heavily defended by minefields, 5,000 troops, tanks, armored vehicles and aircraft, the Libyan base fell to a small Chad-led invader army led by Djamous equipped with trucks mounted with machine guns and antitank guns. Analysts estimate that, in Chad's victory in the first three months of 1987, more than 3,000 Libyan soldiers have been killed, captured, or abandoned. Large numbers of tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, fixed wing aircraft, and helicopters were captured or destroyed. In some cases, Libya sent its own aircraft to bomb abandoned Libyan equipment to deny its use to Chad people. It is reported that, in many cases, Libyan soldiers have been killed while fleeing to avoid fighting. In Ouadi Doum, panicked Libyan citizens suffered heavy casualties through their own minefields.
The fall of Ouadi Doum was a major setback for Libya. Issued by most of their Chadian allies, Libyan forces find themselves isolated in unfamiliar territory, and the loss of Libya's main air base in Chad prevents Libya from providing close air cover to its troops. In general, attacks on the FANT have revealed the vulnerability of Libyan heavy forces to more mobile enemies. By order of Gaddafi, a general withdrawal was made from Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Prefecture, beginning with Faya-Largeau. The city has served as Libya's main base for four years previously, but is in danger of being surrounded. His 3,000-strong garrison, along with survivors of Ouadi Doum, retreated to the Libyan base in Maatan-as-Sarra, north of the Chad border. In an effort to reduce the damage inflicted on his international standing, Gaddafi announced that Libya had won a confrontation, and now left Chad so that the opposition could play its part in the fight against HabrÃÆ'Â ©.
This military action left HabrÃÆ' Â © controlling Chad and was in a position to threaten the expulsion of Libya from the Aouzou Line, affecting the international perception of Libya as a significant regional military force, and raises renewed doubt on the competence and determination of the Libyan army. , especially in engagement beyond the borders of countries where they do not feel a personal commitment.
The Toyota War attracted great interest in the United States, where the possibility of using HabrÃÆ'Â © to overthrow Gaddafi was given serious consideration. As part of the Reagan Administration's support for his administration, HabrÃÆ'Â ©, during a visit to Washington, received a pledge of US $ 32 million in aid, including the Stinger anti-aircraft missile.
Updated Chadian update
In August 1987, Chadians who were encouraged to carry their assault on the disputed Aouzou Strip, occupied the town of Aouzou after another battle in which the Libyan people suffered heavy losses in troop and equipment abandoned. In retaliation, Libya increased aerial bombing in northern cities, usually from altitudes beyond the range of FANT's shoulder missiles. The plea by HabrÃÆ'Â © for the French air missions to defend the area against the bombing was denied, since Aouzou has been recaptured against the wishes of French President FranÃÆ'§ois Mitterrand. Instead, Mitterrand calls for international mediation to resolve claims that compete with disputed territories.
After a series of counter-attacks, towards the end of August, the Libyans finally drove 400 Chad soldiers out of the city. This victory - the first by the Libyan ground forces since the start of the Toyota War - appears to be achieved through short range air strikes, followed by ground troops advancing across the country in jeeps, Toyota all-terrain trucks, and light armored vehicles. For Libyans, who previously relied on armor being tracked, the attack represented a conversion to a desert war tactic developed by FANT. To highlight the victory, Gaddafi flew foreign journalists into the region, so news of his victory could reach the headlines.
HabrÃÆ'Â © quickly reacted to this setback and continued to bomb FANT concentrations in northern Chad. On 5 September 1987 he made a surprise attack on the Libyan air base at Maaten al-Sarra. Reportedly, 1,000 Libyans were killed, 300 arrested, and hundreds more were forced to flee to the surrounding desert. Chad claimed that his forces destroyed about 32 aircraft - including MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter planes, Su-22 bombers, and Mi-24 helicopters-before the FANT column was drawn to Chad land.
The attack was opposed by France, which refused to provide FANT with intelligence and logistical support, causing FANT to suffer huge losses. French Defense Minister Andrà © Å © Giraud let it be known that "France is not involved in any way" in the attack and "has not been told about it". The American reaction is very different, having previously supported the attempts to conquer the Aouzou Path; now welcome Chad's attack.
Armistice
Due to domestic opposition, internal demoralization, and international hostility, Gaddafi took a more peaceful stance after his defeat. On the other hand, HabrÃÆ' © also finds himself vulnerable, because the French are afraid that the assault on Maatan as-Sarrah is just the first stage of a general offensive into the right Libya, the possibility that France is not willing to tolerate. As a result, Mitterrand forced Habrà © to accept mediation efforts from the Chairman of the Organization of African Unity, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, who produced a truce on 11 September.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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