Chad, which accuses Sudan of backing rebel attacks on its eastern border, fears Khartoum may be preparing a fresh assault which could also destabilise other neighbouring states, President Idriss Deby said. Deby briefed the president of Central African Republic, Francois Bozize, late on Monday about Chad's charges that the Sudanese government organized and directed two attacks by Chadian rebels against the border town of Adre on Dec. 18. "One can't rule out Khartoum making another repeat attack against Chad," Deby told reporters in N'Djamena after meeting Bozize. He said the Sudanese government was preparing for such a move at el-Geneina in Sudan's western Darfur region.On Friday, Chad said a "state of belligerence" existed between itself and Sudan. The Sudanese government expressed surprise and said it would not allow its territory to be used for attacks on neighbouring states. But Deby, who accuses Khartoum of supporting Chadian rebels of the Rally for Democracy and Liberty (RDL) who are seeking to topple him, said Sudan's government had sent a 50-vehicle motorised military column towards the southern Sudanese border. Without offering more details, he suggested this might risk destabilising Central African Republic, which lies southwest of Sudan. "This is a worry not just for Chad but for all of Sudan's neighbours ... if Chad is targeted, I don't see how Central African Republic won't be affected," Deby said.
The Chadian government has said that it is in a "state of belligerence" with neighbouring Sudan, which it blames for an attack on a border town last weekend.