FIGHTING has now stopped in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, but humanitarian agencies remain concerned about the aftermath. Government troops and rebels were fighting for control of the city during the weekend, but, by Wednesday, the army had driven the rebels away.
More than 20,000 people have fled from their homes, many of them to Kousseri, just across the border in Cameroon. Most do not have adequate food, water, or shelter there, a UNHCR spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
The Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) evacuated its staff from N’Djamena at the end of last week to Garoua in Cameroon. Mike Riley, MAF’s director in the country, said: “We received advice from the US embassy to restrict all travel within N’Djamena to a minimum, and all of the schools are closed.”
Volunteer workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were gathering in the wounded, as well as the dead bodies, on Wednesday, after the end of the fighting. They estimate that up to 1000 people have been wounded. Médicins Sans Frontières reports that more than 500 people have been admitted to its hospitals in the area.
Thomas Merkelbach, head of the ICRC’s delegation in Chad, said: “We are worried about the inhabitants of the city and about our friends, colleagues, neighbours, and partners.”
An ICRC surgical team had started work in the main hospital, and the Red Cross of Chad had mobilised volunteers in medical facilities to treat the wounded, while others patrolled the city in ambulances whenever there was a lull in the fighting.
The ICRC issued a statement calling upon all parties to honour their obligation to distinguish between civilians and people participating directly in the hostilities, and to spare the civilian population and civilian property. Its workers and other medical services have been largely respected, it said.
A BBC report on Tuesday said that France had warned the rebels that it could intervene if they continued to threaten N’Djamena. The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, said he hoped that the French troops who were already in the city would not have to intervene. But President Nicolas Sarkozy said that France would “do its duty” if it must.
By Wednesday, the French Defence Minister, Hervé Morin, had arrived in N’Djamena for talks with President Idriss Deby. The Chadian government has accused Sudan of helping the rebels and providing bases for them in Darfur, which is just across the border from Chad. The Khartoum government denies the charge.
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