France ready to intervene in Chad

By Moumine Ngarmbassa and Emmanuel Braun

After obtaining U.N. Security Council backing for Deby's government, French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned the rebels France would "do its duty" and had the means to respond to any unlawful attack against its former colony.

Chad has accused Sudan of supporting an offensive by the rebels, who stormed into the capital of the oil-producing central African country at the weekend before withdrawing after two days of fighting. Khartoum denies backing the rebels.

Fearing fresh attacks, more than 50,000 people fled south from N'Djamena into northern Cameroon across the bridge over the Longone-Chari river. Thousands more were displaced in and around N'Djamena and food and clean water were running short.

He announced in Brussels the European Commission had set aside 2 million euros (1 million pounds) in humanitarian funding to help meet the needs of refugees, displaced people and other vulnerable groups hit by violence in the west and east of Chad.

The United States also appealed for an end to the conflict in Chad, where a U.S.-led consortium has been extracting oil since 2003.

Rebel leaders, responding to African Union mediation efforts, offered to accept a ceasefire. But at least one rebel spokesman said this was conditional on Deby ending his 18-year rule over the country, which critics say is corrupt and dictatorial.

Amnesty International demanded that Deby's government reveal the whereabouts of four leading opposition figures it said were arrested at their homes by security forces on Sunday. It said they were at risk of being "tortured or forcibly disappeared".

Deby's government says it routed the rebels in the chaotic fighting in which hundreds were injured. The rebels have said they withdrew to regroup.

Sarkozy said this meant his country could intervene in Chad in support of Deby. "If France has to do its duty, it will," he said during a visit to western France.