Rebels in Chad are advancing from the east of the country towards the capital, NDjamena, after seizing a strategic central town, officials say Thursday according to BBC online.
Armed forces have gone to intercept a column of 300 rebel vehicles, advancing along the main road to the capital. Security has been stepped up in NDjamena, where most children have been sent home from school.
The rebels want to drive the president from power. Two years ago they reached the capital before being repelled. A spokesman for several rebel groups who have joined forces said Oum Hadjer, a strategically important town in the central region of Batha, 400 km from NDjamena, had been captured on Wednesday.
A series of armed attacks on the UN refugee agency and other aid organisations has led to the evacuation of staff from the UNHCR office in Guereda in the east.
A European Union peace force is preparing to deploy to eastern Chad in the next few weeks. The 3.700-strong contingent will aim to protect refugees from Sudans Darfur region and people displaced by internal fighting.
