Chadian rebels vow to overthrow Deby

June 22, 2008 (N’DJAMENA) — Chadian rebels accused President Idriss Deby on Sunday of rejecting their calls for genuine dialogue and said this left them no choice but to maintain their military campaign to overthrow him.

“He has rejected dialogue,” Ali Gadaye, spokesman for the rebel National Alliance told Reuters by telephone, referring to a speech by Deby on Saturday in which he blamed neighbour Sudan for a series of rebel attacks launched since June 10.

At a pro-government rally in the Chadian capital, Deby called on his armed opponents, whom he said were “mercenaries … manipulated by Sudan”, to “come back to the fold”.

But he offered no concessions to the rebels, whose mobile columns had struck at isolated lightly-defended towns in Chad’s eastern borderlands, where a European Union force (EUFOR) is protecting nearly half a million Sudanese and Chadian refugees.

Asked if the rebel National Alliance would maintain its military campaign against Deby, Gadaye said: “If he gives us no other option, what can we do?”.

Sudan’s government, which accuses Deby of supporting insurgents in its conflict-torn Darfur region, has denied his allegations of Sudanese backing for the Chadian rebels.

After a week of rebel announcements of rapid advances in the east, Chad’s armed forces said they defeated the main rebel column at Am-Zoer on Tuesday, inflicting heavy casualties.

In a conflicting version, the rebels said they killed “hundreds” of government troops in the Am-Zoer battle.

But there was no clear independent confirmation of the outcome of the fighting. The rebels, who raided the capital N’Djamena in February, have often retreated back to their bases on the eastern border, emerging later to strike again.

“The attempt to destabilise our country by mercenaries in the pay of Sudan is an adventure without future … today, the national army totally controls the situation,” Deby told around 1,000 pro-government supporters in N’Djamena on Saturday.

He called on the international community, which broadly condemned the recent rebel attacks, to clearly identify Chad’s aggressor as Sudan.

REBELS SAY WANT NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Rebel representative Gadaye, who spoke from a Sudanese mobile phone number, said previous peace pacts offered by Deby sought to co-opt his insurgent foes and bring them into his administration, which they condemn as corrupt and dictatorial.

“It is a much deeper problem … We want an inclusive round-table that includes all parties in Chad,” Gadaye said.

The rebels, who despite frequent internal splits have fought for more than two years to overthrow Deby, demand that the president open a national dialogue with his armed and civilian opponents to discuss a transition to fresh elections.

They say Deby’s rule since he seized power in a 1990 revolt from the east has unfairly favoured his family and Zaghawa tribal clan over other groups in the ethnically mixed country.

In their fast-moving attacks in the east, the rebels avoided attacking EUFOR troops, whose commanders have said they will remain neutral and stay out of Chad’s internal conflict.

This provoked a furious outburst on Monday from Deby who accused the European force of standing by and “closing its eyes” while, he said, the insurgents killed civilians and stole vehicles, food and fuel from aid workers.

(Reuters)