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| June 15, 2008 |
NDJAMENA (AFP) — European Union peacekeepers returned fire after coming under attack in eastern Chad Saturday, a spokesman said, as rebel forces briefly seized a nearby town. Rebel militia took the town of Goz Beida in southeast Chad, about 75 kilometers (46 miles) from the border with Sudan, on Saturday morning before withdrawing later in the day, promising a bigger confrontation on Sunday.
The firefight, in which no EUFOR troops were injured, took place shortly after noon about four kilometres north of Goz Beida, where troops were protecting the refugee camp at Djabal, Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Axelos told AFP.
"Engaged by unidentified armed elements, the soldiers fired back," Axelos said.
EUFOR spokesman Axelos said that UN agencies asked the European troops for assistance and that "the EUFOR soldiers are currently proceeding to pick up the humanitarian workers with eight armoured vehicles."
There are around 500 Irish and 70 Dutch troops from the EUFOR contingent in the region, whose mission is to protect civilians and refugees fleeing the violence in the western Sudanese Darfur, just over the border. The rebel forces left Goz Beida to rejoin other rebel soldiers in the area, said their spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah, speaking by telephone.
Koulamallah said the rebel force had some 500 to 600 vehicles and 7,000 to 8,000 men at their disposal, nearly double the number of a similar offensive in February.
"They (the rebels) are not far away. The biggest clashes will probably come tomorrow (Sunday) with government forces," he added.
Rebels in Chad Friday threatened to target any French aircraft flying reconnaissance missions over their positions.
"We have 500 pick-up trucks with well-armed men. Our aim is to take Ndjamena by the weekend which we will, God willing," Aboud Makaye added.
Goz Beida is a strategic town in the hilly south east. Nearly 80,000 displaced Chadians and some 36,000 refugees from neighbouring Sudan's war-battered Darfur region live nearby in camps.
Rebels attacked Ndjamena in February, reaching the presidential palace in an attempt to drive out President Idriss Deby Itno. A similar unsuccessful coup attempt was made in 2006.