By Finbarr O'Reilly
GOZ-BEIDA, Chad (Reuters) - Rebels on the offensive in eastChad on Saturday attacked a town ringed by refugee camps butstayed away from European Union troops protecting thousands ofcivilians, witnesses and rebel spokesmen said.
The attack on Goz-Beida, 70 km (40 miles) by road fromChad's eastern border with Sudan's Darfur region, came on thethird day of what rebel forces say is their latest offensivewestwards aimed at trying to overthrow President Idriss Deby.
Witnesses reported heavy fighting, in which smoke rose fromthe town and fire from machineguns and heavy weapons was heard.
A heavily-armed column of rebel vehicles was visible from ahill 12 km (seven miles) away entering Goz-Beida, but then lefta few hours later.
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 (EUFOR) that deployed in east Chad this year.
"There has been fighting around our compound in Goz-Beida... but it's calmed down now," Aimee Ansari, programme managerfor Oxfam Great Britain at Goz-Beida, told Reuters. No detailsof casualties were immediately available.
Spokesmen for the rebel National Alliance, speaking byphone, said Goz-Beida was under the control of rebel forces andthat other insurgent columns were moving westwards. But therewas no immediate independent confirmation of these movements.
The Irish troops at Goz-Beida took up defensive positionsto carry out their mandate to protect civilians and refugees.But no clashes were reported with the rebels, who appeared tohave only targeted Chadian government soldiers.
"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 earlier told Reuters during the fighting.
"We have no desire to clash with EUFOR forces as long asthey remain neutral," rebel spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah,whose Democratic Union for Change (UDC) group belongs to theinsurgent alliance, told Reuters by telephone from France.
TURBANNED REBEL FIGHTERS
Former colonial power France, which has warplanes andtroops in Chad and strongly backed President Deby when hesurvived an earlier fierce rebel assault on the capitalN'Djamena in February, said it was following the situation inthe east.
"Any armed action targeting Chad and its institutions canonly be condemned by France and the international community,"the French Foreign ministry said in Paris. It called on allparties in the conflict to seek a "political solution".
Before the assault on Goz-Beida the attacking rebel columnhad up to 100 pick-up trucks.
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.
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.
Another insurgent spokesman, Ali Gadaye, called on Franceand the international community to stop supporting Deby. "TheDeby regime is at the end of its tether," he said.
A fresh Chadian rebel offensive against Deby had beenwidely expected since Sudanese Darfuri insurgents attacked theSudanese capital Khartoum in May. Both countries accuse eachother of supporting rebel groups hostile to each others'governments.
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say onthe top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/) (Additionalreporting by Pascal Fletcher in Dakar; Writing by PascalFletcher)