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Chad said it routed a major rebel attack launched from Sudan to destabilise its Government, but Khartoum accused Chad's Army of killing 17 of its troops and threatened a strong response.
The accusations marked a deterioration in the volatile relations between the two central African neighbours, marred by violence spilling across the frontier of Sudan's Darfur region.
Chadian Information Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor said a convoy of 200 rebel vehicles from Sudan was defeated after attacking Army positions in the border village of Aldjirema. At least eight Chadian soldiers and numerous rebels were killed.
However, Sudanese armed forces spokesman Mohammed Aghbash said Chadian troops backed by seven armoured vehicles and 140 armed off-road vehicles had crossed the border and attacked Sudanese troops before being forced to withdraw. Seventeen Army and police personnel were killed while 40 others were wounded in the attack, which also left numerous civilian casualties.
- REUTERS
