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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Chad Army Sets Up Positions to Block New Rebel Offensive |
| 2008-02-01 |
| Chad's army has been setting up defensive positions outside the capital N'Djamena as well as about 200 kilometers east to block a new allied rebel offensive. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our regional bureau in Dakar. Chadian military officials say long-time President Idriss Deby is going to the front to block the latest rebel advance, made up of fighters from several rebel groups. Officials say about two rebel columns, each with about 1,000 fighters, are about 200 kilometers east of the capital, near Lake Fitri, traveling in several hundred pick-up trucks. Meanwhile, the military has set up roadblocks at key intersections in the capital, where most schools were closed, and many civilians rushed home from work. An exiled rebel spokesman, Makaila Nguebla, tells VOA the rebels are not afraid of Chad's army, and he predicts rebel fighters will make it to the capital. Nguebla says it is no longer a national army, but a clan-based fighting group with low morale. He says Mr. Deby must accept political dialogue, or face continuous rebel assaults. |
| Posted by:Fred |