By Finbarr O'Reilly
GOZ-BEIDA, Chad (Reuters) - Rebels in Chad on Saturdayattacked the eastern town of Goz-Beida, and Irish EuropeanUnion troops took up defensive positions between the fightingand a refugee camp, aid workers and an officer said.
The rattle of machinegun fire and the thump of heavierweapons could be heard and thick black smoke rose from thetown, a Reuters reporter 12 km (7 miles) outside Goz-Beidasaid.
"There is heavy fighting in the town," a foreign aid workertold Reuters. Goz-Beida is located about 70 km (40 miles) byroad from Chad's eastern border with Sudan's Darfur region.
A Chadian rebel alliance fighting to topple PresidentIdriss Deby has said several of its columns are advancingwestwards towards the capital N'Djamena in a fresh offensive.They last attacked the Chadian capital in the west in February.
Goz-Beida is surrounded by United Nations-run camps housingtens of thousands of Sudanese and Chadian refugees. They arebeing protected by an Irish infantry battalion serving with anEU military force that deployed in eastern Chad this year.
"We have troops between Djabal refugee camp and thefighting in town and the (humanitarian) NGOs are sitting tight.It's best they stay put as there is still fighting and it's abit ropey in town," Commandant Stephen Morgan of the Irish 97thInfantry Battalion told Reuters.
"It would not be good to send soft-skinned vehicles in atthis time," he added. But there were no reports so far of anydirect clashes between the rebels and the Irish EU troops.
Aid workers reported fighting in the street outside theOxfam Great Britain compound, near the market in Goz-Beida.
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. They waved and cheered.
Chad's government has rejected the rebel announcements of anew major offensive as "rebel propaganda" but has said"mercenaries in the pay of Sudan" -- the term it usually usesto describe the insurgents -- crossed into 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.
One rebel spokesman had said the rebels were prepared tocall off their offensive if France and the European Unionforced Deby to agree to round-table talks on Chad's politicalfuture.
France has military aircraft and troops stationed in Chadunder a defence cooperation treaty, in which Paris providesintelligence, logistical and medical help to Chad's government.
A fresh Chadian rebel offensive against Deby had beenwidely expected since Sudanese Darfuri insurgents attacked theSudanese capital Khartoum in May.
Both countries accuse each other of supporting rebel groupshostile to each others' governments.
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say onthe top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/)
(Writing by Pascal Fletcher, editing by Jeremy Lovell)
