By Finbarr O'Reilly
ABECHE, Chad (Reuters) - Chad accused Sudan's army ofattacking a town on its eastern border on Tuesday and blamedits neighbour for Chadian rebel raids which have disruptedinternational aid operations to help thousands of refugees.
The Chadian accusation showed tensions flaring againbetween the two oil-producing neighbours, who often accuse eachother of supporting cross-border rebel attacks over theirfrontier running along Sudan's violence-torn Darfur region.
Citing deteriorating security, the United Nations refugeeagency UNHCR has suspended its activities in eastern Chad,where a European Union military force (EUFOR) is deployed toprotect nearly half a million civilians displaced by conflict.
A statement from Chad's government said Sudanese armyground troops supported by helicopters attacked the Chadianmilitary garrison at Ade on their border on Tuesday.
"By openly intervening with its army and aircraft inChadian territory, Khartoum is taking off the mask from itsaggression against our country," the Chadian government said.
In the past, Sudan has routinely rejected such accusations.Last month, Sudan said Chad was behind a Darfuri rebel attackthat reached the outskirts of Khartoum. Chad denied that.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of theaction at Ade, a frontier post in Chad's eastern Ouaddai regionwhere Chadian rebels have attacked several towns in the lastfew days in a series of fast-moving hit-and-run raids.
The rebels fighting to topple Chadian President Idriss Debysaid they had captured another eastern town, Am-Zoer, 70 km (40miles) north west of Abeche. Abeche is the main hub ofinternational aid operations in eastern Chad.
Chad described the rebels as Sudanese-backed "mercenaries".
"The Chadian army's reaction will be on a level with theimpudence of the Sudanese regime," Chad's government said.
Spokesmen for the Chadian rebel National Alliance have saidtheir ultimate objective is the capital N'Djamena, some 700 km(450 miles) to the west.
CALL FOR DIALOGUE
Chad's latest accusation against Sudan followed a speech byPresident Deby late on Monday in which he denounced what hesaid was an "international plot" seeking to plunge his countryback into civil war.
Both the United Nations Security Council and the AfricanUnion have condemned the attacks by the Chadian rebels. U.N.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for dialogue to resolvethe conflict.
Furious at the apparent ease of the rebel advance, Debylate on Monday sharply criticised the European Union militaryforce deployed in eastern Chad, accusing it of "closing itseyes" to killings of civilians and refugees by the insurgents.
Deby, who survived a rebel assault on N'Djamena inFebruary, questioned the usefulness of the EUFOR contingent,which has a mandate to protect nearly half a million Sudaneserefugees and displaced Chadian civilians sheltering at camps inthe east.
A EUFOR military spokesman at the force's headquarters inParis, Lt.-Col. Philippe de Cussac, declined to responddirectly to Deby's criticism but defended the contingent's rolein protecting civilians and humanitarian workers in east Chad.
In February, former colonial ruler France strongly backedDeby when he resisted the rebel assault then on the capitalN'Djamena. Deby has ruled Chad, a minor oil producer, sinceseizing power in a 1990 revolt.
During a weekend visit to Ivory Coast, French ForeignMinister Bernard Kouchner said France "has not intervened andwill not intervene" in the latest fighting in Chad.
France has warplanes and troops in Chad under a cooperationaccord and French soldiers make up more than half of EUFOR.
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say onthe top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/)
(Additional reporting by Moumine Ngarmbassa in N'Djamena;Writing by Pascal Fletcher)
