30 killed as Chad army battles rebels near Sudan border

June 5, 2006 (N’DJAMENA) — Fighting between Chadian army forces and suspected Sudanese-backed rebels in eastern Chad left some 32 people dead and more than 50 wounded, authorities said.

The toll included 10 government soldiers killed and 17 others wounded, while “the mercenaries in Khartoum’s pay left on the battlefield 22 dead and 37 wounded,” a statement from President Idriss Deby Itno’s office said.

The same source said Saturday that “a column of mercenaries in the pay of Khartoum, in 67 vehicles” had attacked the town of Tine in eastern Chad, near the Sudanese border, before being “routed” by the army.

A Chad military source said the rebels were taking orders from a former ally of Deby, Timane Erdimi, who turned against the president in December last year and has since become the head of an opposition movement.

His group, the Platform for Change, Unity and Democracy (SCUD), said its forces had pursued an army patrol as far as Tine, and had taken control of the town.

The clashes in Tine were the first to be reported between rebels and the army since forces loyal to Deby crushed an attempted armed coup against him by another rebel group, the United Front for Change (FUC), in April.

Deby accused Sudan of backing the coup attempt and maintains that Khartoum has continued to support the rebel forces.

(ST)