Chad officials visit southeastern city after rebel offensive

Oct 27, 2006 (AM TIMAN) — A Chadian government delegation Friday visited this southeastern city, now under army control, which was briefly occupied earlier this week by rebels in a renewed insurgency.

Defense Minister Bichara Issa Djadallah, a representative of the territorial administration Ahmat Mahamat Bachir and government spokesman Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor visited a hospital in Am Timan, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of N’Djamena.

At least five soldiers were being treated for bullet wounds at the hospital.

The city was calm on Friday, as a major presence of Chad’s army was clearly visible on the streets.

Signs of the recent battle between the government forces and the rebels of the Union for the Forces of Democracy and Development (UFDD) included four destroyed all-terrain vehicles on the outskirts of the city.

The rebels had seized control of Am Timan on Monday, only to abandon their positions two days later and retreat toward the borders with Sudan and the Central African Republic.

The UFDD, a new group formed of the merger of three movements, on Sunday had relaunched its hostilities against the regime of President Idriss Deby Itno.

Rebel leaders contacted Thursday said their aim was to fight the Chadian army, not to occupy towns. Last April, insurgent forces got as far as the gates of the capital.

The Chadian government claims the rebellion is being supported by , which Khartoum denies.

(AFP)