Chad accused Sudan of backing a new rebel advance, saying Thursday that the move came even as another African country was trying to mediate between the neighbors.
According to a Chad government statement, Sudan launched "several heavily armed columns" against Chad a day earlier. The Chadian government called the fighters "mercenaries," its term for Chadian rebels it accuses Sudan of backing, and said they crossed from Sudan and reached a border town, Moudeina. Chad said it was taking steps to respond to "this new attack."
Senegal has been trying to persuade Chad and Sudan to implementing earlier, faltered accords in a step toward calming war-torn Darfur and other areas on their shared border.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir met with Chadian President Idriss Deby were meeting Thursday on the sidelines of an Organization of the Islamic Conference summit in Senegal, according to Senegalese presidential spokeswoman Fatou Tandiang.
A meeting scheduled for Wednesday fell through after al-Bashir failed to show up.
Sudanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Al Sammani al-Wasila said al-Bashir's jet was forced to circle above Senegal's capital for more than 40 minutes late Wednesday night.
"So the president was tired and for the benefit of this meeting, he wanted to be fresh," he said. "We are meeting Chad with an open mind and heart."
The leaders of Chad and Sudan have long traded accusations of supporting each other's rebel groups. Each regularly denies such charges.
"This is not the first time Sudan has attacked Chad while such initiatives were under way to restore peace between the two," the Chadian government said.
Deby has accused Sudanese authorities of arming rebels who launched a failed assault last month on the Chadian capital, N'Djamena. The rebels reached the gate of the presidential palace, but fled toward Sudan after Chad's army repelled them in fighting that left hundreds dead.
Sudan, meanwhile, has repeatedly accused Chad of supporting rebels in its Darfur region.
Source: AP News
