EU deployment to Chad delayed

By Moumine Ngarmbassa

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's army fought to drive off rebels who pushed to within 100 km (60 miles) of the capital N'Djamena on Friday and the clashes delayed the deployment of European peacekeepers to the African country.

In contradictory versions of the fighting, Chad's interior minister said the Sudan-backed rebels had been defeated and put to flight, while the insurgents said they were still driving towards N'Djamena after destroying dozens of army vehicles.

France's military, which has Mirage jets and around 1,000 soldiers stationed in Chad under a bilateral defence treaty, said the clashes took place between Massaguet and Massakory, around 100 km (60 miles) northeast of the capital.

"The column of mercenaries in the pay of Sudan ... has been completely put to flight ... the battle is over, it's finished, we're in pursuit," Chadian Territorial Administration (Interior) Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir told Radio France International.

A spokesman for the rebels, Abderamane Koulamallah, gave a different version to RFI, saying it was the government side which had pulled back to Massaguet, 78 km (49 miles) from the capital on the main northeast road into the city.

No independent confirmation of the outcome of Friday morning's fighting, which was reported to be fierce and involve exchanges of heavy weapons fire, was immediately available.

Up to 3,700 European Union troops were due to arrive in coming weeks on an urgent peacekeeping mission to eastern Chad, but anti-government rebels pre-empted the deployment with a lightning offensive this week towards the capital in the west.

An EU spokesman said the "increased instability" meant the deployment of the first European troops was being delayed.