LOC21:17
18:17 GMT
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- Deeply concerned by the resumption of
fighting in Chad, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday reiterated the UN
condemnation of the use of military means to seize power, his deputy
spokesperson Marie Okabe told the daily press briefing.
She said Ban "calls on all parties to abide by their commitments under the
different peace accords signed by them and to urgently resort to dialogue to
reach a peaceful and negotiated settlement of this latest crisis."
Ban, she added, "deplores any action that could worsen the already grave
humanitarian situation" especially in eastern Chad where the international
community is actively engaged in activities to provide relief and secure the
voluntary, safe and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons in
eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic.
An allied rebel force, hostile to President Idriss Deby, who swiftly
crossed the border from Sudan earlier this week, clashed earlier in the day
with government forces near Ndjamena, the capital.
Chadian UN envoy Mahamat Ali Adoum said in a letter to the Security Council
President earlier in the day saying his government "intends to make use of the
full range of means at its disposal, including hot pursuit of the aggressors
(rebels), to exercise its right of self-defence against the aggression
orchestrated and strongly supported by the Sudan," (end)
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