Sudan dismisses Chad accusation over rebels’ support
February 7, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese officials on Thursday dismissed accusations by Chad that it supports Chadian rebels fighting government troops in the neighboring country and described the charges coming from N’Djamena as “tantamount to war.”
The foreign ministry said in a statement that the Sudanese government was “surprised” by an alleged threat from Chadian Foreign Minister Ahmad Allam-mi, reported in some media, that Chad would invade Sudan.
Such a threat is “tantamount to war,” the ministry said, and added that Sudan was capable of defending its national territories.
Earlier Thursday, independent daily newspaper Akhir Laza quoted Sudanese Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Hussein as saying that Chadian allegations of Sudanese support to the Chadian rebels were untrue and that the Chadian government was “well aware” that Sudan has capabilities to defend itself if attacked.
Sudan has the capability to “mortar down N’Djamena, but the Sudanese leadership always tilts toward peace,” Hussein said, adding that the “Sudanese leadership does not care who governs Chad.”
The minister spoke following a late Wednesday meeting with the chief of Sudan’s national security and intelligence, Gen. Salah Abdullah Ghosh. The security chief was quoted by the official SUNA news agency as saying Khartoum was actually mediating to “reconcile Chadian parties and to end the current violence.”
The most harsh accusations by Chad came earlier this week, when Chadian Gen. Mahamat Ali Abdallah Nassour claimed Sudanese troops were involved in an attack Sunday on Adre, a border town with Sudan.
Adre lies in the area where an EU peacekeeping force is to operate, along the volatile border with Darfur. The town is also a humanitarian hub surrounded by camps with about 420,000 refugees from Darfur and Chadians displaced in the spillover from the violence.
Chadian officials claim rebels are crossing into Chad from Sudan, backed by Khartoum which does not want to see the EU force deployed. Chadian rebels claimed Sunday to have seized Adre but the government said it repulsed the attack.
The United States asked Sudan to halt any possible aid to the rebels and use its influence to get the rebels to withdraw.
(AP)