Chadian army and rebels each claim victims

N’DJAMENA – Soldiers and rebels have both claimed to have killed several hundred of their opponents in combat on Monday in eastern Chad in what may turn out to be the heaviest fighting since rebels tried to take the capital last year.

The battles at Abougouleigne, about 90 kilometres east of the town of Abeche, left ‘several hundred (rebels) dead, several injured and several prisoners of war’ taken into military custody, according to the statement from the army’s general staff. The rebels issued a similar statement: “Loss of human life on the enemy side, more than 200 (soldiers) dead, including division General Dirmi Haroun and Colonel Guende Abdramane,” said a statement of the Union of the Forces for Development and Democracy posted on a Chadian opposition Web site.The Chadian army statement did not give any figures of casualties on the army side.But the rebel statement said that only 20 of its combatants were killed and another 41 injured.Both statements said that these are just preliminary reports on Monday’s battles.It was not possible to independently confirm either side’s claims, but if proved true, Monday’s fighting would be the worst since a separate rebel group tried to take the capital in April 2006.At the time the government said it killed over 300 rebels.Chad has struggled in the face of several rebellions in the east, with some insurgents saying President Idriss Deby has not provided enough support to their kinsmen in the neighbouring Darfur region of Sudan.Last month, four Chadian rebel groups signed a peace deal in Libya with Deby’s government.But the Union of Forces for Development and Democracy said last week it was unsatisfied with the pace of implementing the agreements, and then clashed with government forces over the weekend.No information was immediately available about casualties from the weekend clashes.UN officials estimate that around 3 million people have been uprooted by conflicts in the region, also including the fighting in western Sudan’s Darfur region and unrelated rebellions in Chad and Central African Republic.Aid workers say both rebels and the government have visited refugee camps to recruit children into their forces.The European Union has offered to send a 3 700-strong force to Chad and Central Africa Republic to help protect refugees displaced from the four-year conflict in neighbouring Darfur.Deployment of the EU troops has been held up, however, over a lack of air transportation, as well as medical and logistical units.Nampa-APThe rebels issued a similar statement: “Loss of human life on the enemy side, more than 200 (soldiers) dead, including division General Dirmi Haroun and Colonel Guende Abdramane,” said a statement of the Union of the Forces for Development and Democracy posted on a Chadian opposition Web site.The Chadian army statement did not give any figures of casualties on the army side.But the rebel statement said that only 20 of its combatants were killed and another 41 injured.Both statements said that these are just preliminary reports on Monday’s battles.It was not possible to independently confirm either side’s claims, but if proved true, Monday’s fighting would be the worst since a separate rebel group tried to take the capital in April 2006.At the time the government said it killed over 300 rebels.Chad has struggled in the face of several rebellions in the east, with some insurgents saying President Idriss Deby has not provided enough support to their kinsmen in the neighbouring Darfur region of Sudan.Last month, four Chadian rebel groups signed a peace deal in Libya with Deby’s government.But the Union of Forces for Development and Democracy said last week it was unsatisfied with the pace of implementing the agreements, and then clashed with government forces over the weekend.No information was immediately available about casualties from the weekend clashes.UN officials estimate that around 3 million people have been uprooted by conflicts in the region, also including the fighting in western Sudan’s Darfur region and unrelated rebellions in Chad and Central African Republic.Aid workers say both rebels and the government have visited refugee camps to recruit children into their forces.The European Union has offered to send a 3 700-strong force to Chad and Central Africa Republic to help protect refugees displaced from the four-year conflict in neighbouring Darfur.Deployment of the EU troops has been held up, however, over a lack of air transportation, as well as medical and logistical units.Nampa-AP