Posted on 04/12/2006 10:44:04 PM PDT by HAL9000
N'DJAMENA, April 13 (Reuters) - Residents of Chad's capital N'Djamena were woken by the sound of artillery fire early on Thursday as government forces battled to keep rebels bent on overthrowing President Idriss Deby out of the city.A Reuters reporter living in a southern neighbourhood said the noise of heavy weapons could be heard coming from a few kilometres (miles) outside the city.
"Everyone is up, wondering what is going to happen," he said. One resident reported seeing a column of smoke.
Chad: engagements with the heavy weapon with the doors of Djamena
DJAMENA - Engagements with the heavy weapon began Thursday at the first hours from the day to the doors of Djamena between the Chadian army and the rebels of the Face linked for the change (Fuc), one learned from Chadian military source.
These confrontations started towards 5h30 local (4h30 GMT) on the initiative of the army faithful to president Idriss Deby Itno, which tackled rebellious positions with a few kilometers only of the suburbs of the capital, one specified of the same source.
Shootings of heavy weapons were heard Thursday morning around Djamena, according to corresponding of AFP.
According to humane sources', confrontations with the heavy weapon also took place Thursday at dawn in the town of Adré, with more than 800 km of Djamena, at the border with Sudan.
WOW I been reading this on BBC news wire today Hal so any word if Chad capitol fall to rebels I mean err terrorists
Rebels say they control most territory of Chad
PARIS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Front of Democratic Change (FUC), an alliance of nine Chadian guerrilla groups, announced on Wednesday night that they had taken control of 80 percent of the country's territory and were advancing towards Chadian capital N'Djamena.
Laona Gong, the Front's representative in Paris, said in a televised speech that the anti-government forces led by the FUC have "arrived in places less than 200 meters from the capital."
Gong, former foreign minister of Chad also said the anti-government alliance was yet to have any concerted administrative principles and program, but that the rebel groups were united in achieving their goal to "topple the government of President Isdriss Deby Itno" and "re-initiate the democratic process in the country."
For the past three days, the Chadian government troops have been fighting the rebels in the east and central part of the country.
France, the country's former colonial ruler, confirmed on Wednesday the FUC's advance, saying that their vanguard troops could reach the capital in no more than two hours.
The French Foreign Ministry on the same day said that the French troops deployed in Chad were made under a state of alert. The troops have started patrolling in order to evaluate the conflict in the country.
France stationed a 1,200-strong force in the country. Under existing cooperation accords between the two countries, the French troops can only provide intelligence support to the Chadian government.
The instability in Chad came ahead of the May elections, in which the rebels will try to oust President Deby, who hopes to extend his 15-year rule in the central African country
Chad army battles rebels inside capital N'Djamena
N'DJAMENA, April 13 (Reuters) - Chad government forces fought rebels inside the capital N'Djamena on Thursday after a column of insurgents had penetrated the northeast of the city, residents and diplomats said.
"They (the rebels) are in the city," a Reuters reporter said, as the sound of artillery and machinegun fire could be heard coming from the northeast sector where the national parliament is located.
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