(AFP) – Feb 1, 2008

NDJAMENA (AFP) — Chadian government troops clashed with rebel forces near Ndjamena on Friday, with both sides claiming victory in a battle that could eventually decide control of the capital Ndjamena.

Chad's military general staff said in a statement the army had engaged a large group of rebels at Massaguet about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of the capital and "entirely destroyed this column after 40 minutes of fighting".

"The Massaguet battle was very violent. The army did not succeed in pushing forward," a Chadian military source, loyal to President Idriss Deby, told AFP.

Chadian Foreign Minister Amad Allam-Mi told AFP late Friday the rebel attack against Ndjamena had been repelled.

"I want to deny rumours insinuating that that there is fighting in Ndjamena, or that two helicopters have been shot down," he said on the sidelines of an African Union summit in Addis Ababa. "The rebels were defeated after serious clashes, the capital is calm and under control."

Allam-Mi said the fighting took place between Massaguet and Ngoura between 9:30 am and noon.

He would not rule out further attacks and said the rebels could receive reinforcements from Sudan.

The Chadian army "is chasing the retreating rebels," he said. "We know that there are several columns but the main attack has been pushed back."

Asked by telephone whether the rebels could take the capital, he said: "Everything is possible. We cannot rule out anything; the rebels are well armed and equipped."

"This is sad for Chad, sad for the Chadian capital ... The Sudanese are behind this, we are only gun fodder for a conflict which does not concern us," he added.

Rebel leader Timan Erdimi insisted his side had won the day and vowed the next clash would be in Ndjamena itself.

"We completely smashed them, but Deby was able to escape. Now we are between Massaguet and Ndjamena. We are coming to Ndjamena. I think we will be there tonight (Friday) or tomorrow (Saturday) morning," Erdimi said by satellite phone.

Erdimi joined forces with fellow rebel leaders Mahamat Nouri and Adbelwahid Aboud Makaye in mid-December after a previous peace pact with President Deby fell apart.

An Ndjamena military source said President Deby had been at the front but had regained the capital.

As the fighting continued, the UN evacuated all "non-essential" staff from the Chadian capital to Cameroon. Around 160 non-essential personnel were evacuated for security reasons, said a Geneva-based spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

France meanwhile flew a combat unit of 126 extra troops into Chad to join the 1,100 permanently posted there.

But Air France said all access to Ndjamena airport had been blocked, preventing its scheduled flights from landing.

The capital itself was practically deserted Friday afternoon, with a large military presence on the streets and helicopters flying overhead. The area around the president's office was sealed off and protected by tanks.

In a letter released Friday at the United Nations in New York, Chad told the Security Council it would to use its right of self-defence to repel "the aggression orchestrated" by Sudan.

If necessary, they would pursue the rebels across the border, it added.

Chad accuses Sudan of having united and armed the rebels.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who is currently visiting ethnically divided Kenya, expressed at concern at the deteriorating security situation in Chad.

A UN statement said Ban was "deeply concerned at the resumption of fighting in Chad...and reiterates the United Nation's condemnation of the use of military means to seize power."

EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel on Friday also condemned "any attempt at an armed takeover".

In the Ethiopian capital, the African Union summit shifted its attention Friday from Kenya's troubles to the crisis in Chad, amid fears a major conflict could undo peace efforts for Sudan's Darfur region.

On Monday, a rebel convoy of 300 pick-ups, each capable of carrying between 10 and 15 men, approached Ndjamena after leaving rear bases across the border in western Sudan's Darfur, in the biggest such push since April 2006.

Their offensive began the week an EU peacekeeping force was due to start deploying advance troops in Chad and neighbouring Central African Republic to protect civilians and refugees from the Darfur conflict.

The European mission, EUFOR, announced Friday a temporary delay in troop flights to Ndjamena, one with a dozen Austrian soldiers and two with around 50 Irish soldiers and equipment.

At full strength, the force will consist of 3,700 men. They will protect about half a million civilians and humanitarian and relief work in Chad and Central African Republic, but keep out of local conflicts unless attacked.

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