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African Union officials study the situation in Chad

April 21, 2006 () — African Union officials traveled to Chad on Friday to study the situation eight days after a rebel attack on the capital was repulsed.

Also Friday, the U.N. food program expressed concern the unrest would further complicate the already difficult task of helping the more than 200,000 refugees from neighboring Sudan who have fled to Chad.

The AU civilian and military officers will stay in Chad for a week to gather information for a report to the African Union’s Peace and Security Council “for the appropriate follow-up,” according to a statement released late Thursday.

El-Ghassim Wane, AU deputy commissioner for peace and security, refused to elaborate on the statement or provide additional details on the team’s planned activities in Chad.

A Chadian Foreign Affairs Ministry official said that the AU team was due to meet Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmad Allam-mi later Friday.

The April 13 rebel attack has shaken President Idriss Deby’s government. The rebel United Front for Democratic Change is regrouping in the countryside, and the threat of violent overthrow has not diminished.

The struggle for power in Chad threatened to destabilize efforts to end another civil war _ this one in Sudan’s Darfur region, where some of the Chadian rebels reportedly have rear bases.

Sudan has accused Chad of harboring Darfur rebels, while Chad has said Sudan backs Chadian insurgents and hired mercenaries to oust Deby. To complicate matters, some in Chad have accused Deby of not doing enough to support the Darfur rebels, adding to growing disenchantment with his rule.

Deby broke diplomatic relations with Sudan a day after the attack on his capital, repeating past accusations that Chad’s neighbor had hired Sudanese mercenaries to overthrow the government. Sudan so far continues to maintain tie with Chad and rejects accusations it has a hand in the Chad rebellion.

The deterioration in stability comes at a crucial time for humanitarian efforts, the U.N. World Food Program said in a statement Friday. It said it was struggling to get food in place for Sudanese refugees for the next six months, before annual rains make road transport impossible, and was concerned about more Chadians being displaced by fighting.

“The longer the instability continues, the more people will need assistance and yet that same assistance will be even more difficult to provide. The first people to suffer will be those who need help most,” Stefano Porretti, director of WFP programs in Chad, said in the statement.

The U.N. and other agencies had decreased staff in Chad because of the fighting, but Porretti said Friday that WFP was still distributing food.

Deby had threatened to expel Sudanese refugees following the attack on his capital, but backed down after pleas from the United Nations and the United States.

(ST/AP)

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