N'Djamena - Rebels and government soldiers fought gunbattles in eastern Chad near the border with Sudan's Darfur region on Monday after two rebel groups ended a month-long ceasefire at the weekend, a rebel leader said. Mahamat Nouri, the leader of the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development said: "The National Army started attacking us this morning (Monday). "We had information that they would attack us and we were prepared."
Nouri's group is one of Chad's two main rebel groups.
Fighting is continuing near the small towns of Forchana and Hadjer Hadid,about 70km east of Abeche. Government officials confirmed there had been clashes in the area on Monday, but gave no information on casualties.
Chad's two biggest rebel movements, the UFDD and the Assembly of Forces for Change (RFC), said on Friday they would break a ceasefire as of Sunday, a month after four rebel groups signed a Libyan-brokered peace deal with Deby's government.
Rebels briefly entered Hadjer Hadid on Saturday and exchanged fire with government forces. Helicopters from both Chadian government forces and a French military unit based permanently in Abeche took off in pursuit after Saturday's shooting, but failed to track down the rebels, who were driving several vehicles, military sources said.
The government said rebels crossed from Sudan at the weekend and attacked Chadian gendarmes protecting refugee camps. Communications Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor held Sudan responsible, saying Khartoum's forces had failed in their obligation to prevent rebel raids across the border. Chad and Sudan have frequently accused each other of sheltering and supporting armed rebel factions.