A Sudanese-backed Chadian rebel column has advanced deep into Chad towards the capital N'Djamena in the west, the government said today.
A security source in N'Djamena said the column of about 300 vehicles had passed east of the capital when a Chadian army column advanced to confront it.
European Union peacekeepers, including Irish troops, are due to deploy to eastern Chad in the coming weeks to protect hundreds of thousands of refugees from violence spilling over Chad's border with Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.
An advance party made up of the Irish Army's Ranger wing will travel to Chad early next month to carry out reconnaissance, ahead of a full deployment in early March of 400 Irish troops.
Chad and Sudan accuse each other of supporting rebel groups in their respective territories, though each denies it.