Rebels and government soldiers fought gunbattles in eastern Chad today near the border with Sudan's Darfur region after two rebel groups ended a month-long ceasefire at the weekend, rebel and government officials said.
European Union peacekeepers are due to start deploying to the area in the coming weeks to protect humanitarian operations for around 400,000 Sudanese and Chadian refugees forced from their homes by years of violence.
"The National Army started attacking us at 9.30 (8.30am Irish time)," said Mahamat Nouri, leader of the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), one of Chad's two main rebel groups.
"We had information that they would attack us, so we were prepared," he said by satellite phone as fighting continued near the small towns of Forchana and Hadjer Hadid, some 70 km (44 miles) east of Abeche.
UFDD Secretary-General Abakar Tollimi said he was too busy to talk, as gunfire and at least one heavier explosion echoed in the background.
A government official said heavy fighting began around 100 km (60 miles) from Abeche and died down after several hours.
There was no information on casualties from either side.
Chad's two biggest rebel movements, the UFDD and the Assembly of Forces for Change (RFC), said on Friday they would break a ceasefire as of Sunday, a month after four rebel groups signed a Libyan-brokered peace deal with Deby's government.
UFDD rebels briefly entered Hadjer Hadid on Saturday and exchanged fire with government forces.
Helicopters from both Chadian government forces and a French military unit based permanently in Abeche took off in pursuit after Saturday's shooting, but failed to track down the rebels, who were driving several vehicles, military sources said.