Sudan closes borders with Chad amid growing tension

July 17, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The Sudanese army closed the country’s borders with Chad following accusations of aerial bombardments inside Darfur, according to a newspaper report.

The London based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper quoted unidentified Sudanese security officials as saying that the army has put its forces on alert.

Khartoum said the Chadian attack took place in border region of Um-Dakhan in West Darfur. However they no reported casualties.

The Sudanese army chief of staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Abdel-Gadir said that they are prepared to repel “any ground or aerial attack launched by Chad”.

Abdel-Gadir said that two Russian made Sukhoi planes carried out the attack inside Sudan.

The Chadian government acknowledged responsibility for the assaults in Darfur.

The Al-Sharq Al-Awsat cited the Chadian information minister Mohamed Hussein as saying their army attacked inside Sudanese soil to stop a column coming from inside its Eastern neighbor.

Hussein said that Sudan sent “mercenaries” in four wheel drive cars to plant landmines inside Chad but that some of them were captured.

He added that Chad got hold of documents showing Sudanese involvement and that they were presented to the Western envoys in Ndjamena. The Chadian official said that the foreign minister intends to lodge a complaint against Sudan.

The Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Ali Al-Sadiq told the UN sponsored radio Miraya FM that his government “maintains the right to respond” to the Chadian air attack.

However, several Sudanese officials in the past have said that Chad wants to drag Sudan into war with France which has a military presence in its former colony.

France and Chad have a military agreement to exchange intelligence information but does not involve any direct intervention.

Chad has accused Sudan of supporting rebels seeking to oust President Idriss Deby, while Khartoum has charged Ndjamena with backing Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

(ST)