Sudan issues stern warning to Chad following rebel assault
May 10, 2008 (WASHINGTON) — A senior Sudanese official today threatened the Chadian government with a swift response to the attack on Khartoum today.
“What Idriss Deby has done now will backfire on him immediately from inside Chad” he said surrounded by jubilant crowd chanting “God is great”.
Darfurian rebels staged a bold attack and fought fierce battles with the Sudanese army on the outskirts of the capital. However the Sudanese government said it repulsed the attack and accused Chad of backing the assault.
Sudan TV showed footages of rebel prisoners who said that they received military training in Chad to carry out their attack.
The assault comes less than two months after Chadian rebels made a failed attempt to control the capital Ndjamena and overthrow president Deby.
Deby accused Sudan of backing the rebels in an attempt to prevent deployment of a European force to protect refugees from the war-ravaged Darfur region that borders Chad. Sudan has long resisted such a force, but has denied involvement in Chad’s coup attempt.
The Chadian ambassador in Washington, Mahmoud Adam Bechir told Sudan Tribune he was unaware of Nafi’s statements but said that it would be “unwise to respond to Sudan’s problems in that manner”.
“Sudan has internal problems and they can’t blame Chad for them. We condemned today’s attack and called on Darfur rebel groups to conduct a dialogue with the Sudanese government” he added.
Nafi said that the Chadian people “will respond twice as strong” to today’s attacks.
Fighting in Darfur has often spilled over into Chad, where several rebel groups are fighting to topple Deby. Chadian rebels have bases in Sudan’s Darfur region.
International experts also say more than 300,000 were killed and 2 million have been driven from their homes by the conflict in Darfur, a region that is roughly the size of France.
(ST)