Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Sudan 'launches attack on Chad'

Rebel movement in recent days in the east of Chad.

BBC News report 05 May 2009:
Sudan 'launches attack on Chad'
Chad's government has accused Sudan of launching a military attack, two days after the neighbours signed a reconciliation agreement in Qatar.

Communications Minister Mahamat Hissene said Khartoum was behind a "planned aggression", reported AFP new agency.

A BBC correspondent in Chad says he is referring to alleged Khartoum support for Chad rebels, a common claim. Sudan promptly denied the latest allegation.

In Doha on Sunday, Sudan and Chad agreed to end hostilities.

"While the ink has yet to dry on the Doha accord, the Khartoum regime has just launched several armoured columns against our country," the communications minister told state radio, reported AFP.

The two countries have long been at odds amid mutual allegations of support for insurgents in each other's territory, especially near the war-torn Darfur region along their common border.

Rebels on the move

Sudanese army spokesman Osman al-Agbash promptly rejected Tuesday's claim, telling AFP: "What is happening now inside Chad is between the Chadian army and the Chadian rebels. Sudan has no relation with this."

The BBC's Celeste Hicks in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, says there has been rebel movement in recent days in the east of Chad, but it is not clear if the insurgents have gone on the offensive.

She says the last time Chad's rebels launched a significant attack was on the eastern town of Goz Beida in June last year.

Chad has on a number of occasions since then accused Sudan of egging on the rebels, she says.

In May 2008, Khartoum accused N'Djamena of backing Darfur-based insurgents who launched an unprecedented attack on the Sudanese capital.

Chad denied any involvement and in turn accused Sudan of having backed a push by rebels on N'Djamena three months earlier that reached the gates of the presidential palace before being repulsed.

Solving the dispute between the two countries is seen as a key step in solving the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

Many Darfur rebels are from the same ethnic group as President Idriss Deby, and ever since their uprising began, he has been accused of offering them support.

Although Khartoum has repeatedly denied backing the rebels, analysts note the insurgents have operated out of Sudanese territory for several years.

Sunday's talks were brokered by Qatar and Libya, which have been leading reconciliation efforts between Chad and Sudan after they renewed diplomatic relations in November after a six-month rift.

N'Djamena and Khartoum also shunned each other diplomatically for four months in 2006 after an attack by rebels on Chad.
Snapshot of Google's newsreel:

Chad accuses Sudan of supporting new rebel push
eTaiwan News - ‎4 hours ago‎
AP Chad's government is accusing its neighbor Sudan of backing a new rebel push into its territories only days after the two signed an outline for a peace ...

Chad accuses Sudan of armed incursion
Washington Post - ‎8 hours ago‎
NDJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad accused neighboring Sudan on Tuesday of sending armed groups into the east of the country, just hours after the two countries ...

Sudan-backed rebels enter Chad
AFP - ‎1 hour ago‎
NDJAMENA (AFP) — Sudanese-backed rebels swarmed into eastern Chad and closed in on a strategic town Tuesday as the Chadian government accused its neighbour ...

Sudan 'launches attack on Chad'
BBC News - ‎10 hours ago‎
Chad's government has accused Sudan of launching a military attack, two days after the neighbours signed a reconciliation agreement in Qatar. ...

Sudan and Chad in fence-mending deal
AFP - ‎20 hours ago‎
DOHA (AFP) — Sudan and Chad have struck a deal to end hostilities and arrange a summit between their leaders in a move seen as vital for peace-making ...

UN chief hails Sudan-Chad agreement on ending hostility
Xinhua - ‎May 4, 2009‎
UNITED NATIONS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed on Monday the agreement signed between Sudan and Chad on Sunday to halt violence ...

Sudan, Chad Agree to Stop Hostilities
Voice of America - ‎May 4, 2009‎
By VOA News Sudan and Chad have signed a new agreement aimed at ending hostilities against each other. Representatives of the two countries signed the ...

Chad and Sudan agree to end feud
Aljazeera.net - ‎May 4, 2009‎
Chad and Sudan have agreed to end hostilities against each other and normalise relations after reconciliation talks in the Qatari capital, Doha. ...

Chad and Sudan agree to halt attacks
Reuters UK - ‎May 4, 2009‎
DUBAI (Reuters) - Chad and Sudan have agreed to halt violence against each other and refrain from using force to resolve their conflicts, Qatari and African ...

UN chief hails Chad-Sudan talks for normal ties
Xinhua - ‎May 3, 2009‎
UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday welcomed the peace talks between Chad and Sudan to normalize their bilateral ...

Sudan and Chad sign normalization agreement
eTaiwan News - ‎May 3, 2009‎
AP Sudan and Chad have signed an agreement sponsored by Qatar and Libya to normalize relations. The gradual normalization process will conclude with the ...

Chad faces a new rebel attack
African Press Agency (subscription) - ‎55 minutes ago‎
APA-Ndjamena (Chad) Having already experienced a rebel attack that narrowly failed at the entrance of N'Djamena in February 2008, Chad was anew in turmoil ...

Africa: UN Chief Applauds Pact to Ease Tensions Between Chad And Sudan
AllAfrica.com - ‎1 hour ago‎
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the agreement signed between Chad and Sudan over the weekend, expressing the hope that it will ease the strain ...
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See Sudan Watch - April 24, 2009: UFR threatens war to overthow Chad's government - UN mission in Chad needs boosting

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