French Defense Minister Visits Chad
By VOA News
06 February 2008
French Defense Minister Herve Morin is in Chad for a meeting with beleaguered President Idriss Deby, whose government has been holding off rebels threatening to take the capital.
France has promised to come to the aid of its former colony. President Nicolas Sarkozy says Paris will "do its duty" in response to what he called rebel aggression.
France has about 1,500 troops stationed in Chad.
But Morin told Paris Radio Tuesday that France's military agreement with Chad is limited to logistical, medical and training support.
Chad's capital, N'Djamena, is calm Wednesday. Although most businesses remain closed, a few shops have re-opened.
Elsewhere, in neighboring Nigeria, Red Cross workers say at least one thousand Chadian refugees are in the north, looking for a place to settle.
In other news, Defense Minister Morin has said French planes have been flying over Chad's border with Sudan to ensure against what he called "foreign incursions."
President Deby has accused Sudan of backing the rebels - a charge Khartoum denies.
Morin said it may be clear in the coming days just what Sudan's alleged involvement in Chad has been.
Morin called Mr. Deby Chad's democratically-elected president, saying international monitors were satisfied with the last election.
Mr. Deby has held power since 1990 and changed the constitution to eliminate term limits. The rebels accuse him of corruption.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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