Showing posts with label UFR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UFR. Show all posts

Friday, April 30, 2010

Sudan border: 'Hundred killed' in Chad clashes April 24 & 28

'Hundred killed' in Chad clashes
From BBC - 08:18 GMT, Friday, 30 April 2010 09:18 UK - excerpt:
Chad's government says the army has killed 105 insurgents and beaten back a new attack near the Sudan border, but the rebels have denied the claims.

FPRN leader Adoum Yacoub said both sides had lost lives but did not give any details.

"Our security forces... completely control the entire zone," said Chad's Information Minister Kedallah Younous, admitting that one soldier had been killed and eight wounded.

There are no independent reports from the area, which borders Sudan's volatile Darfur region.
Over 100 dead as Chad rebels clash with government
From RFI - Thursday, 29 April 2010 by RFI ‎- excerpt:
Two battles have taken place between the Chadian army and rebels in the east of the country near the Sudanese border. According to the government, 105 FPRN (Front Populaire pour la Renaissance Nationale) rebels and nine soldiers died in the fighting.

The minister of information Kedallah Younous announced on Wednesday evening that 80 rebels who were injured in the fighting were taken prisoner.

The FPRN is a member of the union of resistance forces, a coalition of insurgent organisations who are hostile to President Idriss Deby's government.

The union announced after the first battle on 24 April that the rebels had defeated the government forces, killing many soldiers and taking their weapons.

It has not issued a statement after the second battle, which took place on Wednesday. Neither battle has been independently verified.
Chad clash kills more than 100 rebels, soldiers
From (Xinhua) People's Daily Online - Thursday, 29 ‎April 2010‎ 20:54:
Gun battles in eastern Chad have killed more than 100 rebels and at least nine soldiers in the past week, according to information reaching here on Thursday from N'Djamena.

Fighting erupted on Saturday and Wednesday in Tamassi in the vicinity of the border with Sudan, state radio reported, citing Information Minister Kedallah Younous.

The Chadian army also captured dozens of members of the FPRN rebel group, which has been fighting against President Idriss Deby, according to the report.
106 killed in Chad clashes: government spokesman
From AFP - ‎Thursday, 29 April, 2010:
N'DJAMENA — Clashes in eastern Chad between the army and insurgents at the weekend claimed the lives of 105 rebels and one government soldier, the government spokesman said Thursday.

The fighting which started Saturday and continued until Monday claimed "105 lives and led to 62 rebels taken captive," said Kedellah Younous, who doubles up as communications minister.

"The army has lost a martyr and has eight men injured," he added.

The Popular Front for National Renaissance (PFNR), the only rebel movement currently operating inside the country, spoke of loss of life on both sides in the clashes.

The PFNR rebel chief Adoum Yacoub did not elaborate on the number of dead.

At the beginning of April, Chadian mediator Abderaman Moussa met rebel representatives in Sudan, and it was agreed to meet again in the first half of May.
Chadian army clashes with rebels
From Washington Post - Thursday, April 29, 2010; 9:52 AM
By Moumine Ngarmbassa (Reuters)
Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Giles Elgood - excerpt:
(N'DJAMENA) - Chad's government says its army killed more than 100 rebels and lost nine soldiers in two gun battles in eastern Chad this week, but the rebels say they inflicted heavy losses on the government forces.

The renewed violence in the east of oil-producing Chad comes amid N'Djamena's efforts to see United Nations peacekeepers leave the country ahead of elections, and improving ties with Sudan, which it previously accused of backing the rebels.

"Our security forces ... completely control the entire zone," Chad's Information Minister Kedallah Younous said.

The army also took 80 wounded rebels prisoner in the clash, which took place around Tamassi, near Chad's eastern border with Sudan, he said in a statement on state radio late on Wednesday.

The rebels involved in the fighting on April 24 and April 28 were from Adam Yacoub's FPRN rebel group, which is part of a coalition of insurgents that have been fighting against Chadian President Idriss Deby's government.

The UFR rebel coalition issued a statement after the April 24 clash, claiming the FPRN had defeated the army, inflicted heavy losses on government soldiers and recuperated weapons.

There was no independent version of events.

Yacoub's rebels are based in Chad, but other anti-Deby forces have launched assaults on Chad from Sudan. Over the last six years, Sudanese rebels have also used Chad's lawless east to launch attacks in Sudan's Darfur region..

The warming of relations between Chad and Sudan had led to talks between Chad's government and rebels.

But the UFR rebels called on all Chadian factions to provide military support to the FPRN forces, and warned Deby against trying to use violence to resolve Chad's problems.

This week's violence in Chad comes as the government and the United Nations agreed on winding down the number of U.N. peacekeepers in Chad to 1,900 from a full strength mission of over 5,000.

Chad, which will hold legislative elections this year and a presidential poll in 2011, has been pushing for the U.N. force, still in the process of deploying, to shut down. [...]

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

SLM'S Abdel Wahid Al Nur in France ordered attack on Sudanese army in the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains

For the record, and for future reference, here is a copy of five news reports that I chronicled on 15 January 2010 for documenting here at Sudan Watch.

Darfur rebels say attack govt town after bombings
From Reuters by Opheera McDoom, Wed, 13 January 2010 12:04pm GMT:
(KHARTOUM) - Darfur rebels said they attacked a government-held town in the Jabel Marra area of western Sudan on Wednesday in retaliation for army bombardment of their areas, a move likely to hinder peace talks set to open this month.

Tensions were already high in oil-producing Sudan which is gearing up for presidential, parliamentary and state governor elections in April.

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) loyal to founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur said they attacked Golo in Jabel Marra in retaliation for government bombings of rebel-controlled areas there and in the Jabel Moun area on the border with Chad.

"The government started this with bombing in Jabel Moun and in Jabel Marra," said SLA commander Ibrahim el-Helwu.

"We attacked Golo this morning -- we have casualties and the government has many casualties," he added.

The joint U.N.-African union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) does not have troops in the area but said aid workers caught in the crossfire had sought refuge in their compound.

"For the time being they (aid workers) are safe," said Balla Keita, UNAMID commander for West Darfur.

A government intelligence source said fighting was still going on, but Sudan's army was not immediately available to comment.

Darfur peace talks, which have faltered for the past three years, are due to reopen this month in Qatar, but the fighting is likely to fuel mistrust between the rebels and Khartoum.

In 2003 mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglecting the region. Khartoum mobilised mainly Arab militias to crush the uprising.

The United Nations estimates 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict and that 2 million have been driven from their homes according to the United Nations. Sudan puts the death toll at 10,000.

Last year the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hasan al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur.

Keita said the government had bombed Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) positions in the Jabel Moun area.

"They have confirmed that they bombed JEM positions because they say JEM is running operations in Jabel Moun," he said.


A JEM commander in the Jabel Moun area said the attacks had been going on for several days.

"For the past week there has been heavy bombing of our people," al-Tijani Kharshome told Reuters by telephone.

"There are hundreds of families who have fled their homes and are hungry and thirsty," said Kharshome, who is from a large Arab tribe in Darfur.
- - -

Sudan's Army, Rebels Clash in Darfur
From Voice of America News, Wed, 13 January 2010:
Rebels in Sudan's Darfur region say they clashed with government forces Wednesday, days before a scheduled new round of peace talks.

The Sudan Liberation Army faction of Abdel Wahid Nur said its troops attacked the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains.

A spokesman said there were casualties on both sides. He did not give specific figures.

The joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission confirmed there was fighting in the area.

The rebels say earlier this week, Sudanese warplanes bombarded rebel-controlled areas in Jebel Marra and in Jebel Moun, near the border with Chad.

Peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebel groups are due to resume later this month in Qatar.

The United Nations says the fighting in Darfur has killed up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million since 2003.

The government says 10,000 people have died in the conflict.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
- - -

Darfur rebels attack Sudanese army in Jebel Marra
From Sudan Tribune, Thur, 14 January 2010:
January 13, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — A Darfur rebel group today attacked a Sudanese army-held town in Jebel Marra in North Darfur after repeated government bombing of their position, a rebel spokesman said.

[Photo] Sudan Liberation Army rebels speed through the desert east of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state November 8, 2004. (file/Reuters)
Ibrahim El Hilu, a spokesperson from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Al Nur told Sudan Tribune they attacked on Wednesday morning the position of the Sudanese army in Gulu, the capital of the mountainous area.

The rebel official said these attacks come after daily bombardment by the Sudanese army in the region adding they decided to protect the civilians by their proper means as the international community failed to press Khartoum to stop "indiscriminate violence".

El-Hilu said they arrested more than forty government troops, among them a colonel and a lieutenant whose names and military details he provided to Sudan Tribune. He also said they captured 17 military vehicles with weapons and ammunitions.

Since this summer, rebels loyal to the SLM founder reported regular bombing against their positions in different areas of the Jebel. The army and pro-government militia attacked also their position in Korma and Ain Siro.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur confirmed the attack saying the SLM leadership decided to carry out this attack to protect the civilians in the mountainous areas reminding that his troops observe the 2004 ceasefire agreement but have the right to defend the area.

He stressed that the decision had been taken in consultation with the SLA Commander in Chief Abdel Gadir Gadora and Mohamed Abdel Salam Tarada.

Al-Nur stressed that they are peace seekers but asked Khartoum to stop violence on Darfur civilians.

"We are peace seekers and if the government stops the violence against Darfur civilians and provides the necessary environment for their security, we can take part in the peace process without precondition."

The rebel leader further urged the Red Cross to contact them to visit the prisoners of the Sudanese army and inspect their conditions.

UNAMID official spokesperson Noureddine Mezni confirmed to Sudan Tribune the attack, adding they had no presence in the area but received reports about the assault from the NGOs working there.

Mezni said they have no access to areas controlled by the SLA-AW. "Unfortunately we cannot provide humanitarian aid or deal with the injuries among the civilian population there."

He urged the rebel group to reconsider its position and allow the peacekeeping mission to visit their areas in order to accomplish its duties as provided in the UN mandate.


Meanwhile, the Darfur peace mediator is preparing to hold direct talks between the government and the rebel groups to end the seven year conflict on January 24 in Doha.

The main rebel groups blame Khartoum for its lack of credibility and yet say they are ready to negotiate under some conditions. In a new development, last week the joint mediator said he is expecting Al-Nur to join the peace process.

Also the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said today government warplanes bombed the area of Jebel Moon in West Darfur State where the rebel group holds some positions.

JEM Spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam said that hundreds of civilians moved to eastern Chad to flee the daily bombardment.

UN experts have estimated that the fighting in Darfur resulted in the deaths of up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million since 2003. However the Sudanese government says only 10,000 people have died in the conflict. (ST)
- - -

Chad bombs rebels near Sudan border: UFR
From AFP Saturday, 16 January 2010:
KHARTOUM — Chadian air force jets bombarded rebel positions in a region bordering Sudan and the Central African Republic, a rebel source said on Saturday.

The warplanes carried out the air strikes on Friday near the village of Tissi, said the senior official with the Union of Forces for Resistance (UFR) rebel group who requested anonymity.

The rebels responded by shooting at and hitting one of the aircraft, the official said, adding that: "We expect an intensification of the Chadian army's operations."

Most of the UFR rebels are based in Sudan's Darfur region, with a force also in Chad.

Chad and Sudan agreed on Friday for the first time to set up a joint force on their troubled border which will be deployed on February 20.

Chad has accused Sudan of supporting rebels seeking to oust the government, while Khartoum has charged Ndjamena with backing ethnic minority rebels in the conflict-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Improved ties between the two countries could help bring peace to Darfur, where about 300,000 people have died since ethnic rebels revolted in 2003.
- - -

Darfur rebels say Sudan army attacks market area
From Reuters, Saturday, 16 January 2010 12:32pm EST
(KHARTOUM) - Darfur rebels said Sudan's army had attacked their troops in a populated area of the western state of North Darfur on Saturday, escalating fighting ahead of peace talks due to open this month.

Tensions were already high in oil-producing Sudan which is gearing up for presidential, parliamentary and state governor elections in April.

Saturday's attack follows an assault by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) on the government garrison town Golo in Jabel Marra last Wednesday after days of government bombardment of rebel positions in Sudan's remote west.

"The government attacked our areas in the market area of Furug," SLA commander Ibrahim el-Helwu told Reuters. "This is a heavily populated area," he added.

The army spokesman's office was not immediately available to comment and the U.N.-African Union peacekeepers (UNAMID) said they were checking the reports.

"All the areas under the control of SLA (Abdel Wahed)...are a no-go area for us," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni said.

The rebels accuse the mission of working too closely with Khartoum and refuse to allow them to enter their areas.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2009 for war crimes during a brutal counter-insurgency campaign in Sudan's west after rebels took up arms in 2003 demanding more autonomy.

Darfur's fighting sparked a humanitarian crisis which the United Nations estimates has claimed 300,000 lives and driven more than 2 million from their homes.

Fighting has largely subsided since the early battles, but sporadic clashes have since pushed rebels out of the main towns and into the vast swathes of arid countryside.

(Reporting by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Louise Ireland)
- - -
UPDATE
- See Sudan Watch, Tuesday, March 16, 2010: IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DARFUR IDPs: "Please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace

Friday, April 24, 2009

UFR threatens war to overthow Chad's government - UN mission in Chad needs boosting

RFC/UFR's Chadian leader Timan Erdimi sits in Darfur, W. Sudan plotting war against his Uncle, Chadian President Idriss Deby.

Chadian rebels are using El Geneina in Darfur as their back-base, as they await an opportune moment to launch another strike on Ndjamena, about 1,000 kilometres away.

"Almost 95%" of Chadian rebels are in Sudan, says General Balla Keita who heads the joint UN-African peacekeeping force Unamid in West Darfur.

Chadian rebel chief of Rally of Forces for Change (RFC), Timan Erdim, was elected in January to head the Union of Forces of the Resistance (UFR) - an alliance of Chad's main eight rebel groups who merged into one movement with a single political and military command. Timan Erdimi is a nephew of Chadian President Idriss Deby and his former chief of staff until 1996.

"When everything is ready we will launch the war," Erdimi says, near El Geneina in Darfur, W. Sudan.

Erdimi's plans, once he topples Deby's regime, "is not democracy," he says. His priority is to develop government institutions.

Erdimi insists that his men have no links to the Sudanese army and do not need Khartoum's blessings to attack Ndjamena.

"We are not back-up troops for the Sudanese army," he says.

On Tuesday Chadian rebels claimed they had killed about 15 soldiers in a battle near Birak in east Chad over the weekend, but a government official denied there had been any such clash.

The UN mission in Chad and the Central African Republic needs urgent reinforcement because it lacks staff and equipment as it seeks to protect civilians, a senior UN official said today (Friday, 24 April 2009).

Source: see the following reports.

Timan Erdimi

Photo: Timan Erdimi leader de l’UFR: lire son interview accordée en arabe (Source: www.tribunecoum.com février 19, 2009 and Slide Show)

AFP report April 24, 2009 via news24.com (SA):
Rebels ready to overthrow Deby
Sudan - Chadian rebel chief Timan Erdimi sits in the shade of a mango tree near a dried-up wadi in western Sudan, charting out a strategy to topple the government in neighbouring Chad.

"When everything is ready we will launch the war," Erdimi says, near El Geneina, a wild and lawless territory in Darfur close to the border with Chad populated by UN peacekeepers, Sudanese army troops and local militias.

Sitting cross-legged, coiffed in a turban and sporting a salt-and-pepper goatee, Erdimi would look like a Chinese wise man were it not for the military fatigues he dons and the armed fighters who surround him.

He was elected in January to head the Union of Forces of the Resistance (UFR) - an alliance of Chad's main eight rebel groups who merged into one movement with a single political and military command.

The alliance came into being months after rebel groups launched an offensive on the Chadian capital Ndjamena in February 2008 that almost toppled the regime of President Idriss Deby.

But the rebellion was repulsed as it neared the gates of the presidential palace with the help of France, as cracks appeared in the ranks of the rebels.

"There never has been a spirit of unity like today," says Erdimi, a nephew of Deby and his former chief of staff until 1996.

Reached an agreement

"Things are ready on the political and military fronts," he adds, dismissing rumours that divisions are already threatening the very existence of his movement.

Around 100 fighters, machine guns slung across their shoulders, surround Erdimi, who is in his mid-50s. Some are slouched in four-wheel-drive vehicles which bristle with weapons, including rockets.

The Chadian rebels are using El Geneina in the strife-riddled border region of Darfur as their back-base, as they await an opportune moment to launch another strike on Ndjamena, about 1 000 kilometres away.

"Almost 95%" of Chadian rebels are in Sudan, says General Balla Keita who heads the joint UN-African peacekeeping force Unamid in West Darfur.

Erdimi acknowledges that political divisions among the rebellion last year forced his fighters to leave Ndjamena although they had "won the war" but he stresses that the tide has now turned and the time for attack is nearing.

The fighters, he says, were "very unhappy to have left Ndjamena last year. They had won the war but the politicians (within the rebellion) were divided.

"Now the politicians have reached an agreement and they are in a hurry," to launch an offensive, he said.

But the rainy season that spreads from mid-May to the end of September means military operations could be slowed as the dried-up wadis turn into rivers.

Develop government institutions

Western observers believe that the Chadian army has mobilised on the other side of the border and is ready to confront the rebels.

"The Chadian army has been reinforced over the past year," one said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But Erdimi is confident in the strength of his men.

The rebellion "has more (fighters) than Deby and they are much more motivated that Deby's men," he says.

Erdimi's plans, once he topples Deby's regime, "is not democracy," he says. His priority is to develop government institutions.

On Tuesday Chadian rebels claimed they had killed about 15 soldiers in a battle near Birak in east Chad over the weekend, but a government official denied there had been any such clash.

UFR spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in Ndjamena that they had killed about 15 government soldiers in the clashes and destroyed two vehicles with rocket-propelled grenades.

Troubled neighbours Chad and Sudan restored full diplomatic relations in November after a six month hiatus caused by mutual accusations of supporting armed rebels groups operating in and around Sudan's border region of Darfur.

But Erdimi insists that his men have no links to the Sudanese army and do not need Khartoum's blessings to attack Ndjamena.

"We are not back-up troops for the Sudanese army," he says.
- - -

BBC News report 06 February, 2008:
France watches Chad-Sudan border
French military aircraft have been patrolling the Chad-Sudan border to ensure there has been no interference in the fighting around N'Djamena.

France's defence minister said it wanted to monitor "any self-styled foreign intervention" in the fighting between Chad's government and rebels.

The government has accused Sudan of giving the rebel groups rear bases in Darfur, a charge which Khartoum denies.

Thousands have fled N'Djamena since the rebels launched an assault on Saturday.

Up to 20,000 people have crossed the river border with Cameroon in the past four days and arrived in the town of Kousseri, placing heavy strain on essential supplies and accommodation, the UN refugee agency has said.

More than 3,000 other refugees have fled to Nigeria.

Earlier, the leader of the main UFDD rebel group said it was prepared to have a ceasefire in return for the promise of negotiations with the government, but the government dismissed the offer, saying it had already beaten the rebels.

A mediation mission from Libya and Congo-Brazzaville, appointed by the African Union with a brief to meet both sides, is due to arrive soon in the Chadian capital.

Reconnaissance

Speaking about the role of his country's 1,400 troops based in Chad, French Defence Minister Herve Morin stressed that the UN declaration on Monday calling on all countries to support the government had not changed the terms of engagement.

"What it does do is give international community support to the actions of France," he told Radio France Internationale. "It is also support for [President] Idriss Deby."

French diplomatic tight-rope

"It is international community support for the integrity of Chad and support for the actions of France, actions that we've been carrying out for several days."

Mr Morin said that France did have a military agreement with Chad which provides for logistical, medical and training support, but "in no way is it a defence agreement... that would oblige France to intervene to protect the sovereignty of the country involved".

The French military could intervene if it was authorised to do so by a UN resolution, he added.

However, Mr Morin admitted that French fighter jets and reconnaissance planes had been flying over the border with Sudan over the past 36 hours in line with a request from President Nicolas Sarkozy to ensure there are no foreign incursions.

"It enables us to monitor and verify any self-styled foreign interventions and to date we've seen nothing," he said.

"What is certain is that these rebel forces were over by the Sudanese border," he added. "What we might well find out in the days ahead is just what the involvement of the Sudanese actually is."

The violence in the western Sudanese region of Darfur and the cross-border fighting between Chad and Sudan has in recent years sent at least 400,000 people fleeing to refugee camps in eastern Chad.

A French-dominated European Union peacekeeping force had been due to start deploying to eastern Chad last week to give the refugees and aid workers there a measure of protection, but the latest rebel offensive began at the same time.

BBC world affairs correspondent Mark Doyle says one theory is that Sudan encouraged the rebels to attack in order to stop the EU opening a window on Khartoum's activities in Darfur, where it has been accused of genocide.

Ceasefire 'offer'

Mr Morin's comments came as the leader of the largest rebel group, the United Force for Democracy and Development, told the BBC that it was prepared to agree to a ceasefire in return for the promise of talks with the government.

Mahamat Nouri said the ceasefire offer had been made by the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and the government of Burkina Faso.

But the Chadian Prime Minister, Nouradine Delwa Kassire Coumakoye, was dismissive of the offer.

"Why a ceasefire?" he told French TV station France 24.

"They don't exist any more. With whom would we sign a ceasefire?... We've got them under control."

The lull in the fighting around N'Djamena following the tripartite rebel alliance's recent withdrawal has prompted tens of thousands of Chadians to flee the country.

THE REBEL COALITION
Unified Military Command includes:
Union of Forces for Democracy (UFDD) led by Mahamat Nouri
Rally of Forces for Change (RFC) led by Timane Erdimi
UFDD-Fundamental led by Abdelwahid Aboud Mackaye


On Tuesday, "frightened people were still crossing in a continuous flow" from Chad into neighbouring Cameroon, said the UN's refugee agency in a news release.

Thousands have deluged Kousseri in Cameroon, the UNHCR said. While some have found refuge with relatives, in schools or hotels, it said, between 6,000 and 7,000 were staying out in the open at a transit centre near the bridge.

The UNHCR said it planned to move these people to an old campsite some 30km away which could hold up to 100,000 people and was equipped with wells.
- - -

BBC News report 02 December 2007:
RFC rebels 'in new Chad clash'
UFR's Chadian leader Timan Erdimi

Photo: The Rally of Forces for Change (RFC) is led by Timan Erdimi (AFP/BBC)

Government troops in Chad have clashed with rebels from the Rally of Forces for Change (RFC), reports say.

The RFC said its positions had been bombed by Chadian helicopters on Saturday, raising fears that a major ground battle could soon take place.

The RFC signed a peace deal with the government in October, as had another rebel group, the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD).

The UFDD has already clashed with government troops further south.

Speaking to foreign diplomats on Saturday, Chadian Foreign Minister Ahmat Allami said RFC rebel forces led by Timan Erdimi had clashed with government forces around Kalait, some 210km (130 miles) north of Abeche.

A spokesman for the RFC, Id Moura Maide, told the AFP news agency that the fighting had begun when Chadian military helicopters attacked one of the group's bases in the area.

President Idriss Deby, who the rebels are trying to overthrow, is on the ground in eastern Chad commanding his troops.

The clashes follow days of fierce fighting east of Abeche between Chad's army and the UFDD, during which the government said several hundred rebels had died.

The UFDD said it had broken the ceasefire because the government failed to honour the peace agreement brokered by Libya in March.

Under the deal, the government and four Chadian rebel groups agreed to an immediate ceasefire, an amnesty for civil and military personnel and the release of all prisoners. The rebels were also granted the right to form political parties and to join the military and security forces.

But the BBC's Stephanie Hancock in Ndjamena says that after some of the heaviest fighting seen in the country in several years, the ceasefire is now effectively dead in the water.

On Friday, the UFDD also said it had declared war against the French-led 3,500-strong European Union peacekeeping force which is due to be deployed in Chad in January to protect refugees from Sudan's Darfur region.

The rebels accused French military planes of flying over their positions and passing intelligence to the government during last week's fighting. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has insisted the declaration would not jeopardise the EU mission.

The latest fighting began as President Deby sacked his defence minister, Mahamat Nour.

A former leader of the United Front for Change (Fuc) rebel coalition, Mr Nour was appointed defence minister in March after agreeing to disarm his fighters and arrange for them to be assimilated into the Chadian army.

However, correspondents say this never really happened and last week the authorities said they suspected the fighters had instead taken up arms against the government again.

Officials say Mr Nour has taken refuge in the Libyan embassy in the Chad's capital, Ndjamena.
- - -

AFP report 24 April 2009:
UN mission in Chad needs boosting
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The UN mission in Chad and the Central African Republic needs urgent reinforcement because it lacks staff and equipment as it seeks to protect civilians, a senior UN official said Friday.

The mission, known as MINURCAT, took over from a European force in mid-March amid regional tensions marked by deteriorating ties between neighboring Sudan and the international community.

So far some 2,425 soldiers have arrived out of a total force of 5,200, assistant head for UN peacekeeping operations Edmond Mulet told the UN Security Council.

"There is now an urgent need to strengthen MINURCAT up to its authorized strength and to equip it so that it is in a position to meet the challenges facing it," said Mulet.

"We will only reach the ceiling of 5,200 troops if member states provide the mission with military helicopters and their logistic support."

Mulet said that moves to reinforce the mission were being hampered by a delay in the arrivals of contingents promised by Ghana and Nepal.

And he voiced concerns that by the start of the rainy season in June probably only about 3,000 troops would be in place, and some 4,700 by the end of the year.

Total strength would probably only be reached if member states supplied helicopters to support the deployments, Mulet added.

"I cannot sufficiently stress the risk posed by the lack of military helicopters as far as the operational effectiveness of the force is concerned," he said.

MINURCAT's main mission is to protect and aid some 450,000 refugees from the conflict in Darfur, western Sudan, who have flowed over the border into Chad and the Central African Republic.