France says ready to help Chad repel rebels

Thousands flee to Cameroon
As many as 20,000 people fled across the Chari River into Cameroon, the U.N. said. The Red Cross said the number of people fleeing has been growing steadily, and could already have reached 30,000.

“As of this morning, frightened people were still crossing in a continuous flow,” Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency told reporters in Geneva.

French soldiers used armored vehicles to evacuate French nationals and other foreigners over the weekend. About 1,000 foreigners had been evacuated by Tuesday, with 245 remaining under French protection at their military camp or other protected sites, Prazuck said.

Human Rights Watch said it had reports that Chadian security forces were detaining political opposition leaders, “using the fighting as a pretext for settling scores with the unarmed opposition,” according to acting Africa director, Georgette Gagnon.

The violence endangers a $300 million global aid operation supporting millions in Chad. The U.N.’s World Food Program said it could disrupt delivery of food to 420,000 Darfur refugees and Chadians displaced by violence.

Deby rose to power just as the rebels are trying to, heading an insurgent force that captured N’Djamena in 1990. He has won two elections since then, neither considered free or fair, but has enjoyed strong French support.

The rebels are a coalition of three groups whose leaders include Mahamat Nouri, a former defense minister, and Timan Erdimi, a nephew of Deby who was his chief of staff. They accuse Deby of corruption and embezzling millions in oil revenue.

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Associated Press writers John Leicester in Paris, Alexander G. Higgins and Frank Jordans in Geneva, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Matthew Rosenberg, Michelle Faul and Heidi Vogt in Nairobi contributed to this report.

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