El-GENEINA, Sudan (Reuters) - Sudan condemned a threat by neighbouring Chad on Tuesday to expel around 250,000 Darfuri refugees who have fled to Chad's eastern deserts because of a five-year conflict in Sudan's west.
Chad's prime minister said on Monday the refugee situationwas sowing insecurity and raising tension between Chad andSudan. He called on the international community to relocatethem and threatened to expel them if it did not.
"The Chadian announcement violates the laws and charters ofthe United Nations High Commission for Refugees," Mohamed Ahmedal-Aghbash, Sudan's Commissioner of Refugees told state newsagency SUNA.
He said Chad was using the refugees as a bargaining chipwith Sudan. Both countries have traded accusations that theyare each supporting rebel groups revolting against the other'scentral government.
Chadian President Idriss Deby was besieged in his palacethis month by rebels he said included Sudanese forces, andKhartoum says Chad is directly helping Darfur rebels,especially the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
Many of JEM's leaders are from Deby's Zaghawa tribe. JEMleader Khalil Ibrahim implored Chad to be patient and thankedDeby for hosting the Darfur refugees for so many years.
"If the Sudan government stopped supporting the Chadianrebels there will be no problem," he said. "As long as Sudan istrying to change the government in Chad, this is a normalresponse for the Chadians to say this."
After a government offensive to retake control of threeWest Darfur towns last week, another 12,000 Darfuris joined the240,000 refugees already in camps in eastern Chad. The U.N.refugee agency (UNHCR) said it expected many more to arrive.
(Reporting by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Michael Winfrey)
