| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa Horn |
| France warns rebels in Chad |
| 2008-06-15 |
| PARIS - France on Saturday issued a veiled warning to rebels battling toward the Chadian capital, saying in a statement that "any armed action targeting Chad and its institutions can only be condemned." "We call on all concerned parties to find a political solution," said a French foreign ministry statement. Rebels in Chad said Friday they were fighting their way toward the capital Ndjamena and threatened to target any French aircraft flying reconnaissance missions over their positions. But a Chadian government spokesman dismissed claims of a rebel advance. "Any armed action targeting Chad and its institutions can only be condemend by France and the international community," said the statement. "We are following the situation in eastern Chad with great interest," it added. France, which has had a military presence in Chad since 1986, supplied most of the troops for the European Union EUFOR peacekeeping mission in the east of Chad, on the border with Sudan and the Darfur region. The rebels alliance in the east of Chad called on France to stop flying intelligence missions in a statement read out to AFP by Ali Gueddei, spokesman for an alliance of rebel factions. "We are making a last, solemn appeal to France for it to immediately cease its state of belligerence towards the armed forces of the opposition," said Gueddei reading a prepared statement by telephone. France would be better advised to "stop its repeated provocations" in providing the government forces with intelligence through its aerial reconnaissance missions, said Gueddei. |
| Posted by:Steve White |