The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Customer Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out

  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Times News Services
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Алекс Овечкин
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
    • Donne Travels
    • Lives Common
    • National Pastime
    • Politics 101
    • Stories of Faith
    • Civil War
    • Middle - America
    • Chicago Blue State
    • Zadzooks
  • Marketplace
    • Autos
    • Jobs
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Shopping
    • Dining Out
    • Education
    • TWT Store
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Inside the Beltway
    • Inside the Story

Gunbattle erupts in Chad

Fray may be sign of lax security

By David Axe | Thursday, June 26, 2008

  • Bookmark and Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Print
  • [-][+] Font Size
  • E-Mail Alerts
  • Tell a Friend
  • Got a Question?
  • You Report
  • Click-2-Listen

ABECHE, Chad | When the gunfire started around 9 on Friday evening, some people in this hot, remote outpost town near Chad´s border with Sudan assumed it was celebratory shooting from a wedding taking place downtown. But long bursts of machine-gun fire and at least one exploding rocket quickly dispelled that notion.

For two hours gunfire laced downtown Abeche, killing at least one person and perhaps many more, though the government denies anyone was hurt.

The incident - described as either a celebration of a military victory over rebels or mistaken friendly fire among government soldiers - revealed the precarious state of security in the poor central African nation, which is engaged in proxy wars with neighbors Sudan and Central African Republic while also hosting more than 300,000 refugees from those countries.

A former French colony, Chad maintains relatively close ties to the West, and has become the base of operations for aid groups and the European peacekeeping force struggling to contain the ongoing crisis in the neighboring Darfur region of Sudan.

Government officials said the shooting was indeed celebratory fire - but by a Chadian army unit returning from victory over Sudan-based rebels.

Buta reporter witnessed men dressed in military fatigues shooting at each other throughout downtown Abeche. One young man dressed in a mix of civilian and military clothes bled and died while soldiers and fleeing civilians stepped over him.

On Monday an official from the European Union peacekeeping force deployed to eastern Chad said the army perhaps spent Friday night attacking itself.

"It was catastrophic," said Col. Vincent Fleuret, commander of a French battalion, based outside Abeche and assigned to the EUFOR, the 3,700-strong European Union refugee-protection force in Chad.

Col. Fleuret said there were two popular explanations for the gunfire. It was either celebratory "happy shooting" or a massive friendly-fire incident.

Regarding the latter explanation, Col. Fleuret said there were reports that Chadian soldiers had captured some rebel trucks and were bringing them into Abeche after nightfall when the town´s garrison, mistaking them for rebels, opened fire. That sparked a running gunbattle that rolled across the city and soon involved the well-armed and equally jumpy Abeche police.

Continue reading 12Next

[Get Copyright Permissions] Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC

Bookmark and Share

Comments

Read Comments

Post your comment:

Please login or register to post a comment

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

  • Chadian soldiers inspect a destroyed anti-aircraft gun after their victory in Am Zoer, Chad. Returning troops to Abeche are a possible cause of the shooting there.
  • Wounded Sudan-based rebels sort through seized ammunitions June 18 after Chadian troops ousted the insurgency from a region northeast of Chad's capital. (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES)

Click the photo to enlarge. « Previous | Next »

Advertisement

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. Powell airs doubts on Obama agenda
  2. EDITORIAL: Passing unread laws
  3. EDITORIAL: Return of the Black Panther
  4. EXCLUSIVE: Israel declines to ask U.S. to OK Iran attack

Most Shared

  1. EDITORIAL: Passing unread laws
  2. EDITORIAL: Return of the Black Panther
  3. HOLMES: Deja vu on dictators, double standards
  4. EDITORIAL: The fate of FedEx
  5. EDITORIAL: Sotomayor plays the race card
  6. Israeli know-how
  7. EDITORIAL: Dancing with the bear
  8. LETTER TO EDITOR: Coming to grips with Palestinian guilty trips
  9. Bloated deficits endanger dollar's global status
  10. EDITORIAL: Rewriting economic history

Most Commented

  1. Jeb Bush, GOP: Time to leave Reagan behind
  2. WH communications director leaving
  3. Freddie Mac acting CFO found dead
  4. Kerry aims to rescue newspapers
  5. Fidel Castro: Obama 'misinterpreted' words
  6. President Obama said those who approved harsh interrogation techniques for suspected terrorists may be subjected to criminal charges. Do you agree?
  7. President Obama said those who approved harsh interrogation techniques for suspected terrorists may be subjected to criminal charges. Do you agree?
  8. Gibbs: Pay no attention to what Rahm said
  9. Politics' Talking Heads Highlight Speaker Series
  10. Fleecing Mike Ditka

Poll

Do you think the G-8 is still effective in today's times?

Market Data

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.