Chad on alert after army says it killed 300 rebels near capital

Chad’s military killed about 300 rebels advancing on the capital, N’Djamena, army spokesman Azim Bermandoa Agouna said yesterday.

The government sent tanks and other armed vehicles on to the city’s streets.

On Sunday, the military said a rebel column had been destroyed by Chadian soldiers.

Confusion and fear mounted in the capital as rumours swirled on social media about whether the rebels still posed a threat after clashes at the weekend.

“Five days ago, the government was talking about terrorists in the Faya area, but today we are told that the rebels are in the Mao area. We don’t know exactly what is going on,” said high school teacher Jean Djimasde.

Mao is closer to the capital than Faya, suggesting the rebels have moved nearer the city.

The government called for calm as residents of N’Djamena stocked up on food and queued to buy fuel.

The rebel group known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, or Fact, is believed to have been armed and trained in neighbouring Libya before crossing into northern Chad on April 11.

The same day, President Idriss Deby, who has been in power for more than three decades, sought a sixth term.

Mr Deby has faced several rebellions during his time in power, including in 2019 when French armed forces intervened in northern Chad and launched air strikes at an armed group entering from Libya.

In 2008, clashes reached the gate of the presidential palace before the army repelled rebel forces and pursued them towards the Sudanese border.

AP