Chad Claims Victory Over Rebels in Capital
Nairobi
13 April 2006
Fears of a possible coup are mounting in Chad, where rebel forces are reported to be within one hundred kilometers of the country's capital, N'Djamena.
Based in Sudan's western Darfur region, a rebel group calling itself the United Front for Chad launched a campaign last October to topple Chadian President Idriss Deby. Now, a Chadian military official tells Western journalists that fighting broke out when Chadian forces staged an early morning attack on rebel positions, within 100 kilometers of the capital.
The fear of a possible coup comes just weeks before Chad holds its national elections, which opposition groups have vowed to boycott on grounds that the ruling party has an unfair advantage.
In much of Chad, President Deby's political standing has been eroded by his inability to stem the continuing violence in Sudan's Darfur region, which has spilled into Chad's eastern reaches. Also, President Deby has been widely criticized for alleged mismanagement of the country's oil wealth.
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