CAR, Chad, Sudan to meet at France-Africa summit

Feb 11, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The leaders of Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) are to hold a mini-summit at this week’s France-Africa summit in a bid to improve deteriorating relations, Sudanese media said Sunday.

“President Omar al-Beshir will head the Sudan delegation,” the official SUNA news agency reported, adding that the mini-summit would seek to “soothe the atmosphere of relations between these three countries.”

Relations have deteriorated since fighting in Sudan’s western Darfur region that started in 2003 spilled over into eastern Chad and northeastern Central African Republic.

The Darfur conflict erupted when ethnic minority rebels launched an uprising, which was fiercely repressed by Sudanese government troops and allied militias.

Khartoum has rejected allegations it is backing cross-border attacks by Chadian and CAR insurgents and in turn accuses Chad and the CAR of supporting rebels in Darfur.

The UN last month sent a mission to Chad and the CAR to assess prospects for deploying a robust UN force to protect civilians caught in the spillover from the Darfur conflict.

The France-Africa summit is to take place from Wednesday to Friday.

(AFP)