[Marcus Marulus]

Chad president urges EU force to deploy

Chad's President Urges European Peacekeeping Force to Quickly Deploy;

PM Declares Curfew

TOM MALITI

AP News

Feb 07, 2008 10:47 EST

Chad's president issued a "solemn call" Thursday for a planned European peacekeeping force to quickly deploy to Chad to ease pressure on his forces after days of fighting left hundreds dead in the Central African country.

The EU force's mission is to protect refugees from Sudan's conflict-wracked Darfur region that borders Chad and civilians displaced by fighting in Chad. The deployment, delayed earlier by logistical problems, was put off again because of the rebel attack on Chad's capital.

President Idriss Deby, in a radio interview with Europe-1, said that "to be guarantor of 300,000 Sudanese refugees, 170,000 displaced Chadians, this is a big weight and it takes a lot of our strength."

On Wednesday, the relief group Save the Children said they were running out of food and supplies for camps serving more than 500,000 people, including displaced Chadians and Sudanese refugees. No civilian planes — including aid flights — have been allowed into Chad since the fighting started.

Oil-rich Chad has accused Sudan of backing the rebels in an attempt to prevent deployment of the European force. Sudan has long resisted such a force, but has denied involvement in Chad's coup attempt.

Meanwhile, Chad's prime minister declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital, N'Djamena, and in six southern and eastern regions of the country to help restore order. The move came a day after the president insisted his government had total control of the country following the weekend clashes with rebels.

Prime Minister Nouradin Koumakoye told reporters the curfew was necessary to "restore calm in the country and deal with the damage done by the Sudanese army."

Sudan has repeatedly denied charges it supported rebels who entered the capital over the weekend, only to be pushed back by government forces.
The rebels accuse Deby of corruption and embezzling millions in oil revenue. While many Chadians may share that assessment, the uprising appears to be a power struggle within the elite that has long controlled Chad; rebellion leaders include Mahamat Nouri, a former defense minister, and Timan Erdimi, a nephew of Deby who was his chief of staff.

French Defense Minister Herve Morin, who flew to Chad Wednesday in a show of support for the former colony's government, suggested the rebels had not been routed. Morin said his intelligence showed a rebel support column was moving to reinforce the insurgents. He returned to France late Wednesday.

Libya's U.N. ambassador has said that rebel groups told Libyan officials they were ready for a cease-fire. Rebel phones went unanswered despite repeated calls Wednesday.

French President Nicholas Sarkozy said this week that France, which has more than 1,500 troops in Chad, would help Deby if necessary.

The Chadian leader said in the radio interview that French support had been limited to "surveying the frontier at Adre" with overflights by Mirage fighter jets. Adre is a border town with Sudan, where Deby claims rebels are crossing into Chad.

Source: AP News

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