By Mahamat Ramadane
N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Chad’s army battled with rebels on Thursday near the town of Nokou, about 20 km (12 miles) from where former president Idriss Deby was fatally wounded 10 days ago, rebels and the army said.
Deby was killed on April 19 as he visited troops fighting Libya-based rebels from the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), which opposed his 30-year rule. A military council headed by his son took control of Chad after his death, a move which opposition politicians have condemned as a coup.
The rebels issued a statement on Thursday saying they had taken control of Nokou, centre of the north Kanem district and located some 300 km from the capital N’Djamena, after destroying an army attack helicopter that had bombed their position.
However, a spokesman for Chad’s ruling military council told Reuters that Nokou remained under the control of government forces. He also confirmed that rebel positions had been shelled.
Earlier this week Chad’s capital and its second-largest town Moundou experienced violent protests. At least six people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators protesting against the military takeover.
(Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane; Additional reporting by Nellie Peyton; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Bate Felix and Gareth Jones)
