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Chad 'cannot take more refugees' | Chad 'cannot take more refugees' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Chad's Prime Minister, Nouradine Delwa Kassire Koumakoye, has said his country cannot absorb any more refugees from the Sudanese region of Darfur. | Chad's Prime Minister, Nouradine Delwa Kassire Koumakoye, has said his country cannot absorb any more refugees from the Sudanese region of Darfur. |
The UN says 12,000 people fled into Chad over the weekend after attacks on villages in Darfur by Sudanese forces pursuing rebel fighters. | The UN says 12,000 people fled into Chad over the weekend after attacks on villages in Darfur by Sudanese forces pursuing rebel fighters. |
"We are simply demanding that they be moved, otherwise we will do it," Mr Koumakoye said. | "We are simply demanding that they be moved, otherwise we will do it," Mr Koumakoye said. |
He accuses Sudan of being behind last week's failed coup attempt by rebels. | |
Mr Koumakoye, told reporters in the capital, N'Djamena, the international community should return the refugees to Sudan or move them elsewhere. | Mr Koumakoye, told reporters in the capital, N'Djamena, the international community should return the refugees to Sudan or move them elsewhere. |
Sudan denies being behind the rebel assault on the capital last week, which Chadian forced repulsed. | Sudan denies being behind the rebel assault on the capital last week, which Chadian forced repulsed. |
Mr Koumakoye said: "We are being attacked by Sudan because of these refugees." | Mr Koumakoye said: "We are being attacked by Sudan because of these refugees." |
United Nations | |
An estimated quarter of a million refugees live in camps near the Chad-Sudan border after fleeing the conflict in Darfur. | |
It's not clear whether the prime minister's comments represent a concrete change in policy, or a signal of Chad's growing exasperation with the situation along its border with Sudan. | |
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said if Chad decided on expulsions, there would be a real problem. | |
But a UNHCR spokeswoman in eastern Chad, Annette Rehle, told the BBC that she didn't believe refugees would be moved as local Chadian authorities were continuing to co-operate. | |
A French-led European Union peacekeeping force is scheduled to deploy to eastern Chad to improve security for the refugees, but it was delayed by the offensive by Chadian rebels. | |
The EU hopes to resume deployment in the next few days with an initial flight of logistics material. |