Chad/Sudan/France

Within days of treaty, Sudan-backed rebels enter Chad

Article published on the 2009-05-06 Latest update 2009-05-06 11:42 TU

Sudanese Minister of International Cooperation Tijani Seleh Fudail, in Doha, Qatar, on 3 May 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

Armed rebels supported by the Sudanese government moved deep into Chad on Tuesday. This prompted Chad to accuse Sudan of breaking the peace treaty the two countries signed on Sunday.

The French government has confirmed eyewitness reports that armed groups have entered eastern Chad over the last two days.

"It appears that they have gone several kilometers into Chadian territory," said French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Eric Chevallier. He told RFI that France is still verifying their exact position and number.

Chevallier also said that France was not planning to defend the Chadian government militarily. "There is not such a mutual defense agreement", he said.

The offensive continued Wednesday as Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat was received by his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner in Paris to discuss an international reaction.

The UN mission in Chad said that on Monday it stepped up military patrols around the town of Goz Beida, and ordered humanitarian personnel to restrict their movement. Rebels attacked Goz Beida in June.

Chadian government spokesperson Mahamat Hissene said that "in launching this programmed aggression against Chad, the Sudanese regime has reneged on its signature in Doha".

On Sunday in Doha, Qatar, Sudan and Chad signed an agreement to stop hositilities and the use of force. The two countries have made a number of such agreements before, but they have fallen apart because of accusations that either side is supporting rebels in the other country.

Sudan denies that, in this case, it is supporting the rebels.

Omar Ismail, an advisor to the anti-genocide project at the Center for American Progress in Washington, told RFI that there is little doubt that some of the rebels in Chad are backed by Sudan. He also said that they are probably not tied to Janjaweed militias in Darfur.

Ismael described the fighters as "ragtag rebel groups from different ethnic backgrounds... but they have a common goal, that is, to get rid of [Chadian President] Idriss Deby in [Chad's capital] N'Djamena".

Chad also said on Wednesday that the rebels have the ultimate objective of reaching N'Djamena.