Chad has declared a state of emergency today in the capital N'Djamena as well as eastern areas, a government spokesman said.
The measure follows ethnic violence that has killed several hundred people in the last few weeks.
The government, already facing an armed insurgency, has accused Sudanese Arab militia of provoking clashes between Arab and non-Arab Chadians through frequent raids over Chad's eastern border with Sudan's conflict-torn Darfur region.