GOZ-BEIDA, Chad (Reuters) - Anti-government rebels in Chad attacked the eastern town of Goz-Beida on Saturday and heavy fighting was taking place there, an aid worker told Reuters.
A Reuters reporter 12 km (7 miles) from Goz-Beida saidsmoke was rising from the town and he could hear the sound ofmachineguns and heavy weapons.
The Reuters reporter had earlier passed a rebel column ofbetween 80 and 100 pick-up trucks racing towards Goz-Beida.
Some of the vehicles had machine-guns mounted on the back,others carried rebel fighters, their heads and faces swathed inturbans against the dust, holding automatic rifles androcket-propelled grenade launchers and waving and cheering.
A Chadian rebel alliance fighting to topple PresidentIdriss Deby has announced several of its columns are advancingwestwards towards the capital N'Djamena.
The government has rejected what it called "rebelpropaganda" but has said "mercenaries in the pay of Sudan" --the term it usually uses to describe the insurgents -- crossedinto Chad on Wednesday.
"We'll see you in N'Djamena in three days," one of therebel fighters shouted to the Reuters reporter as the passinginsurgent column headed to Goz-Beida.
(Reporting by Finbarr O'Reilly; Writing by Pascal Fletcher)
