Chad declares war on Sudan

The African nation of Chad has declared war on Sudan. The declaration came on Friday, with officials accusing the Sudanese government of supporting Chadian rebel groups.
Chad charged that the Sudanese government aided deserters from Chad’s army and used them to fight Sudanese rebels in the Darfur region. The same deserters allegedly staged attacks on Chad’s government.
Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim denied the accusations, describing the ongoing unrest in Chad as “internal affairs to which Sudan has no relation.”
Chad‘s army said last Monday its forces had killed about 300 rebels after they launched a failed offensive on a border town in one of the worst attacks in the escalating conflict. Chad‘s foreign minister said the troops chased the rebels into Sudan and destroyed their bases across the border.
Sudan will not extradite the Chadian rebels, granting them refugee status.
The African Union (AU) has sent a delegation to visit the two nations’ capitals in an effort to end the dispute.
“The government welcomes the AU delegation, and appreciates its efforts to patch up the rifts between the two countries,” said Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim.
Ibrahim added Sudan has called for a dialogue between leaders of the two countries through open mechanisms to overcome the crisis.