Thousands flee rebels in Chad

Thousands of civilians fled Chad's capital yesterday across a river into Cameroon after 2,000 rebels broke off a two-day assault but threatened again to topple President Idriss Deby. The attack, which Chad said was backed by Sudan, was condemned by the UN Security Council, which urged the international community to support the government against the rebels.

Three days of fighting in N'Djamena are believed to exacted a heavy toll, leaving the city's streets littered with bodies and burned out tanks. The violence is further destabilizing a swath of Africa that is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees and borders the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan.

There are also fears a wider regional conflict could be ignited — Chadian officials have repeatedly accused neighboring Sudan of supporting the rebels, and one senior general threatened to attack Sudan in retaliation. Sudan denies involvement.

A force of 1,000-1,500 insurgents equipped with pickup trucks mounted with machine guns arrived on the capital's outskirts Friday after a three-day push across the desert from Chad's eastern border with Sudan. They penetrated the city early on Saturday, reportedly trapping President Idriss Deby in his palace.

The government launched a fierce counter-attack Sunday, strafing rebel positions with helicopter gunships and bombarding them from tanks.

By early yesterday, the rebels had pulled back, but they insisted it was a tactical withdrawal to give people a chance to flee — and the battle resumed in the afternoon.

"Fighting and shelling has started again in N'Djamena," said Helene Caux, a spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency.

The death toll was not known. But "the fighting was heavy, the weapons used were heavy," French military spokesman Capt. Christophe Prazuck said. "Probably many people were injured or killed."