Chadian rebels said on Monday they had seized the north-eastern town of Biltine, about 750km from the capital, Ndjamena, their stated objective.
Biltine, 100km north of regional centre of Abeche, was the third town the rebel National Alliance had claimed to have taken in its latest offensive against the government of President Idriss Déby Itno.
National Alliance spokesperson Ali Gueddei said that Biltine would not be occupied, adding that the rebels were now aiming at Mongo, in the centre of the country, 400km east of Ndjamena.
”Biltine has been in our hands for a few minutes, there was no resistance,” Gueddei said in a telephone interview, adding that government forces ”were not expecting us”.
”Mongo will fall in a few hours, you will see,” he said.
There was no government confirmation of the capture of Biltine. Authorities in Ndjamena have described previous rebels claim of an advance on the capital as ”a publicity stunt”.
Another National Alliance leader, Abderahman Koulamallah, contacted from Libreville, said the rebel strategy was to avoid heavily defended centres to minimise losses.
”Our current tactics are to stretch the government forces,” he said. ”Our fighters are trying to draw the army as far as possible from its bases, out of range of its tanks.”
Koulamallah said the rebels were set for ”a long war”, adding that they were well enough equipped to maintain their presence in the centre of the impoverished and largely desert country.” — AFP
