By Alistair Thomson
Prime Minister Nouradine Delwa Kassire Coumakoye announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew across the capital N'Djamena and swathes of east and central Chad after the remnants of the rebel column which attacked the city withdrew halfway to the Sudan border.
There was no independent confirmation of this. Former colonial power France, which has over 1,000 troops stationed in the central African oil producer, has denied rebel allegations it is supporting Deby militarily.
Emergency workers in N'Djamena scooped up bodies with an earthmover on Thursday, as people cleared debris from damaged buildings. Army pick-ups packed with turbaned soldiers sped around streets littered with burned out vehicles.
Relief officials said the unrest threatened to provoke a humanitarian crisis by blocking aid flights. The European Union had started deployment of its force last week but suspended it almost immediately due to the rebel attack.
A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the deployment would start again once the situation was clearer.
BLAME GAME
Khartoum, which denies backing the rebels, said on Thursday it had joined Libyan-led mediation efforts and had been behind the insurgents' decision to withdraw from N'Djamena.
The rebels, who fought their way into N'Djamena on Saturday with a column of 300 pick-ups mounted with cannon and machine guns, have long accused Paris of propping up Deby's 18-year-old government, which they call corrupt and dictatorial.
In an apparent gesture of gratitude, Deby, a former French-trained helicopter pilot, said he could pardon six members of French charity Zoe's Ark sentenced to eight years in prison by Chad for abducting children, if France requested it.
Aid workers said at least 160 corpses lay in N'Djamena's three main hospitals and as many as 850 more people were being treated for bullet wounds and injuries from mortar fire.
