la musique Chadienne

Within minutes, we heard explosions and heavy gunfire and black smoke rose above Goz Beida, a sandy town ringed by hills and camps housing tens of thousands of refugees.
In the morning, a kitchen worker was asked if the shooting had scared her. She just laughed.
“C’est la musique Chadienne” — It’s Chadian music, the local soundtrack by which people too often live their lives. here

The mobile rebel columns of armed pickups have raced through towns and struck at army posts in the eastern borderlands. But they have not attempted to repeat the headlong charge westwards to the capital N'Djamena that they made in February.
Former colonial ruler France, which in February clearly threw its political and military weight behind Deby when he resisted the rebel assault on N'Djamena, has taken a more ambiguous position towards the latest rebel moves. here

Columns of armed pick-up trucks

The rebels, whose columns of armed pick-up trucks have pushed westwards from the border with Sudan into eastern Chad here

Chad Rebels in Goz Beida, Am Dam and Biltine

French Mirage in Chad
Armed rebels have overrun three towns in the volatile east of the country and appear to be headed toward the capital, Ndjamena. Aid groups in eastern Chad reported that the rebels briefly occupied Goz Beida, Am Dam and Biltine, and that European Union peacekeeping troops had exchanged fire with them. Chad’s president, Idriss Déby, has accused Sudan of helping the rebels seeking to overthrow him. here

Chad rebels at Ade

Chad accused Sudan's army of attacking Ade on its eastern border and blamed Sudan for Chadian rebel raids which have disrupted international aid operations . Ade is a frontier post in Chad's eastern Ouaddai region where Chadian rebels have attacked several towns in the last few days in a series of fast-moving hit-and-run raids.

The rebels fighting to topple Chadian President Idriss Deby said they had captured another eastern town, Am-Zoer, 70 km (40 miles) north west of Abeche. Abeche is the main hub of international aid operations in eastern Chad.

Chad described the rebels as Sudanese-backed "mercenaries."

"The Chadian army's reaction will be on a level with the impudence of the Sudanese regime," Chad's government said.

Spokesmen for the Chadian rebel National Alliance have said their ultimate objective is the capital N'Djamena, some 700 km (450 miles) to the west. Meanwhile, the United States moved all non-emergency staff from its embassy in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, to Cameroon. here

Rebels in Moudeina and Ade

The Chadian government said "mercenaries paid by Sudan" had entered Chad's territory. Two Russian-made Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters and a larger, armed Mi-17 transport helicopter had set off from Abeche, the main city in the east of Chad, to target rebels in the area of Moudeina and Ade. Chad has a total of six helicopters, flown by Algerians and Ukrainians. Three were dispatched to Abeche in early April; the others are believed to be in Ndjamena. Upon returning to Abeche, one of the helicopters made "a hard and forced landing" at the airport, about 500 metres (yards) from a camp where a European Union force charged with protecting Darfur refugees is situated. Irish members of an EU protection force in eastern Chad said a helicopter had made a crash landing after being damaged by anti-aircraft fire. here

Ft. Lamy, now N'Djamena
The first 71 Chadian police and gendarmerie commanders- who will form part of a new unit known as the Détachement Integré de Sécurité (DIS) - took part in a graduation ceremony today. The group received training from staff with the nascent UN mission in Chad and Central African Republic (MINURCAT) in law and order, respect for human rights, humanitarian law and other policing techniques. here

‘Epervier’ French Army in Chad

For three decades now, the French army has maintained a permanent military presence in its former colony with approximately one thousand troops. Chad became independent from France in 1960. France’s long-term mission is called ‘Epervier’, French for ‘Sparrowhawk’. It’s an operation that provides logistics, intelligence and medical support to Chad. It includes camps in N’Djamena and Abéché. Epervier started in 1986, helping contain a Libyan plan to invade the country.

“If we pull out, Chad will be cut up into pieces from all sides, even now,” said a senior French military official. here