Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Chad

Chadian rebels agree on an immediate ceasefire

The Chadian rebel forces which launched an attack on Ndjamena last week have agreed on an immediate ceasefire.

The rebels however accused the French air force of killing civilians after intervening in the clashes in the capital N'Djamena.

A spokesman for the Chadian rebels Abdel Rahman Ghullam Allah told Miraya FM that they agreed to a ceasefire after the mediation of Libya and Burkina Faso in acknowledgment of the plight of the Chadian people.

The spokesman of the Justice and Equality Movement, Ahmed Hussein, denied media reports that his movement participated in the recent fight in Chad backing President Idriss Deby.

Mr. Hussein also denied the killing of its commander in the fierce fighting in N'Djamena. He said that the Sudanese government is propagating such reports.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the UN Coordinating Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Chad, Maurizio Giuliano, has appealed to the international community to provide aid to thousands of affected people with the worsening humanitarian situation in the country.

Mr. Giuliano said "tens of thousands of refugees are crossing the Chadian border into Cameroon fleeing the fighting in N'Djamena".

The African Union Peace and Security Council have meanwhile endorsed a meeting to discuss the developments in Chad and Kenya.

The Council rejected any change of a democratic system by force as stipulated in the African Union charter. The Council also welcomed the Libyan and Congolese initiatives by sending military experts to Chad.