By Prensa Latina
Nairobi : Chadian rebels accepted an immediate truce Tuesday, but conditioned it on the resignation of President Idriss Deby, who is in the capital N Djamena, supported by the UN, the United States and France.
Over 1,000 people are estimated to have been wounded in clashes between army and rebel forces in N Djamena.
Chadian rebel spokesman Abderraman Koumallah told French radio that Chad needs a national understanding and “we want to end the war and start a dialogue,”. But he accused France of directly supporting the administration of current President Deby.
However, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said French troops are not there “to fight anyone with weapons,” but [to back] the legal decision of the UN Security Council and that if Chad were the victim of an attack, France would have the means to fight such an aggression.
According to Koumallah, a cease of hostilities would create conditions “to form a genuinely democratic government.”
In response to a pending humanitarian crisis, the European Commission announced it would destine 3 million dollars in emergency aid for Chad to cover needs such as food and water for thousands of Chadian refugees and displaced people.
It is estimated that more than 15,000 Chadian residents moved toward Cameroon, and there are still no official figures of dead.