Chad Rebels Move; Government Accuses Sudan and Peacekeepers

Rebels in Chad say they are taking more towns in the east of thecountry, while the government is accusing Sudan's army of attacking aborder town. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our regional bureau inDakar.

Rebels said they seized the town of Am Zoer recently, while capturing the chief of the town garrison and taking a small cannon.

Am Zoer is on the road to the main eastern city of Abeche. Rebels say they are marching to the capital N'Djamena.

Butunlike earlier this year, when they almost toppled President IdrissDeby, security analyst Paul-Simon Handy does not believe the threatfrom this new offensive is as grave.

"We should not overestimatethese new seizures of provincial towns in eastern Chad," he said. "Itis more to my point of view a publicity success, than real militarysuccess."

Handy, from the South African-based Institute forSecurity Studies, says divisions within the rebel movements make itunlikely the rebels will again reach the doorstep of the presidentialpalace.

"I think the biggest difference is that today the rebelsseem less united than they were in February because the new rebelgroups, there are new groups emerging, even though it is the sameactors," he said. "There are new movements that have been emerging andthat are not united. They are extremely divided so that is the firstdifference. And the French intelligence is giving support to theChadian army. I think this time the rebels cannot make it toN'Djamena. They will certainly be stopped by airstrikes of the Chadianarmy."

Chad's government has accused Sudan of attacking theborder town of Ade with ground troops and helicopter fire. A statementsaid its reaction will be on the level of, what it called, theimpudence of the Sudanese regime.

Sudan has denied backing the Chadian rebels or attacking Chadian territory.

Chad'sarmy is accused for its part in helping and getting help from rebelsactive in Sudan's Darfur conflict. Repeated mediation attempts betweenthe two governments and different rebel groups have failed.

Thelatest surge of violence is taking place as European peacekeepers aredeployed on the Chadian side of the border to protect hundreds ofthousands of refugees and displaced people.  

Chad's presidenthas accused the peacekeepers of allowing rebels to steal gas, food andvehicles from aid workers in the area. The peacekeepers have saidthere were no civilian casualties in the recent fighting. They saythey are a neutral peacekeeping force.

France, the formercolonial power, has soldiers in the European peacekeeping force and ona permanent military base in N'Djamena, as part of post-colonialmilitary agreements. They have been accused by Chadian rebels ofkeeping Mr. Deby in power.  

Rebels say they want to get rid ofthe long-standing president to organize free and fair elections in thenewly oil-rich state.