Chad blasts “unfriendly” Sudanese accusations

Nov 24, 2005 (N’DJAMENA) — Chad said on Thursday that “unfriendly” accusations by Khartoum that it was supporting Sudanese rebels could create an “atmosphere of mistrust” between the two central African neighbours.

Chad’s Foreign Ministry expressed its surprise at a statement from its Sudanese counterpart on Wednesday which accused N’Djamena of supporting insurgents in the lawless Darfur region of western Sudan.

“These serious accusations are all the more unfriendly because Chad has tirelessly contributed to the peaceful resolution of the Darfur crisis by its mediation with the African Union,” the ministry said in a statement.

“This type of accusation are of the kind to create a climate of mistrust between two neighbouring countries which should strive to preserve their friendship and brotherhood,” it read.

Sudan’s allegations came at a time when N’Djamena was trying to heal a rift within the main Darfur rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), which was obstructing peace efforts, the Chadian statement said. The two factions within the SLM were due to start talks in N’Djamena on Friday, Chadian government sources said.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since a revolt began in Darfur in early 2003, heightening tensions with Chad as hundreds of thousands of refugees streamed into its arid east, putting immense pressure on already scarce resources.

An upsurge in fighting has drawn global attention to the rising death toll and humanitarian crisis, which Washington has called genocide.

On Sunday, Chad accused Sudan of using Chadian army deserters who fled over the border to fight the rebels in Darfur.

Chad, a former French colony racked by instability, has said it is prepared send troops into Darfur to pursue the deserters, who have demanded the resignation of President Idriss Deby.

It denied on Thursday Sudanese allegations that it had already done so.

(Reuters)