African News

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RFC rebels 'in new Chad clash' The Rally of Forces for Change (RFC) is led by Timan Erdimi        Government troops in Chad have clashed with rebels from the Rally of Forces for Change (RFC), reports say. The RFC said its positions had been bombed by Chadian helicopters on Saturday, raising fears that a major ground battle could soon take place. The RFC signed a peace deal with the government in October, as had another rebel group, the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD). The UFDD has already clashed with government troops further south. Speaking to foreign diplomats on Saturday, Chadian Foreign Minister Ahmat Allami said RFC rebel forces led by Timan Erdimi had clashed with government forces around Kalait, some 210km (130 miles) north of Abeche. A spokesman for the RFC, Id Moura Maide, told the AFP news agency that the fighting had begun when Chadian military helicopters attacked one of the group's bases in the area. President Idriss Deby, who the rebels are trying to overthrow, is on the ground in eastern Chad commanding his troops. The clashes follow days of fierce fighting east of Abeche between Chad's army and the UFDD, during which the government said several hundred rebels had died. The UFDD said it had broken the ceasefire because the government failed to honour the peace agreement brokered by Libya in March. Under the deal, the government and four Chadian rebel groups agreed to an immediate ceasefire, an amnesty for civil and military personnel and the release of all prisoners. The rebels were also granted the right to form political parties and to join the military and security forces. But the BBC's Stephanie Hancock in Ndjamena says that after some of the heaviest fighting seen in the country in several years, the ceasefire is now effectively dead in the water. On Friday, the UFDD also said it had declared war against the French-led 3,500-strong European Union peacekeeping force which is due to be deployed in Chad in January to protect refugees from Sudan's Darfur region. The rebels accused French military planes of flying over their positions and passing intelligence to the government during last week's fighting. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has insisted the declaration would not jeopardise the EU mission. The latest fighting began as President Deby sacked his defence minister, Mahamat Nour. A former leader of the United Front for Change (Fuc) rebel coalition, Mr Nour was appointed defence minister in March after agreeing to disarm his fighters and arrange for them to be assimilated into the Chadian army. However, correspondents say this never really happened and last week the authorities said they suspected the fighters had instead taken up arms against the government again. Officials say Mr Nour has taken refuge in the Libyan embassy in the Chad's capital, Ndjamena. Darfur mission 'behind schedule' Gen Agwai said 9,000 troops was the "barest minimum required"            An international peacekeeping force for the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur will start its mission with a third of the 26,000 troops initially pledged. The new AU-UN force commander, General Martin Luther Agwai, said he expected a maximum of only 9,000 soldiers and police on the ground by 1 January. He said no country had yet donated any of the 24 helicopters required for the force to be able to work efficiently. He said that under such circumstances the mission faced "a Herculean task". Gen Agwai appealed to the international community to make up the shortfall. "If we want to see an end to the suffering in Darfur... this is now the time to stand up and be counted among the friends and do everything possible to help us have the resources that is required to assist and help the people." Sudanese objections An African Union mission in Sudan started its operation in Darfur in 2004, and many of the 6,200 peacekeepers will stay on and become part of the AU-UN hybrid force, Unamid. The Unamid force is due to start its mission in January Gen Agwai described 9,000 troops as the "barest minimum of what is required". Earlier this week, the head of UN peacekeeping said that Sudanese objections and delays were threatening the viability of the mission. Among other demands, Sudan wants advance notice of troop movements and to be able to shut down communications. Khartoum has also refused to accept contingents from Scandinavia, Thailand and Nepal as part of the mainly African force. Sudan responded by saying that the issues were only "administrative problems" which should not be exaggerated. More than two million people are living in refugee camps after fleeing more than four years of fighting in the region, and are vulnerable without peacekeepers.   Peers 'to meet Sudan president' Baroness Warsi and Lord Ahmed hope to resolve the crisis     Two UK Muslim peers who are in Sudan to lobby for a jailed British teacher to be released will meet the president on Monday, a presidential aide has said. Baroness Warsi and Lord Ahmed have delayed their return to the UK and Lady Warsi said they had "made progress". But she would not confirm the aide's announcement of a presidential meeting. Gillian Gibbons, 54, of Liverpool, was jailed for 15 days on Thursday for insulting religion by letting her pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad. 'Delicate times' Baroness Warsi, a Conservative peer, travelled to Sudan with Labour's Lord Ahmed on Saturday. You have got to remember there are other forces in Khartoum as well who feel the sentence was too lenient Louise Ellman MP The pair had planned to return on Monday morning, but Lady Warsi said that they would remain in the country for a third day of talks. Presidential aide Mahzoub Faidul said President Omar al-Bashir would meet the British delegation to discuss the case on Monday morning. Lady Warsi said that while negotiations had been "difficult", there was "a huge amount of goodwill to try and secure an early release" for the teacher. "There are number of meetings scheduled for tomorrow (Monday), we are not prepared to say who they are with or what will be discussed," she said. "These are very delicate times and were are trying to be as responsible and restrained as possible." 'Early resolution' Mrs Gibbons still has "warm things" to say about Sudan, Lady Warsi said after meeting her again on Sunday. She added: "I understand the cultural and religious sensitivities around Islam, but as a woman and a British woman I have huge concerns for Gillian and I just hope that we can carry on presenting the case for Gillian and reach an early resolution. Mrs Gibbons allowed her class to name the teddy bear Muhammad "This is a very important issue, a huge issue, and we must remain optimistic and hopeful that we can resolve it as early as possible." She added: "They've presented us with hope. Enough for us to carry on having those meetings." Mrs Gibbons's local MP Louise Ellman said: "You have got to remember there are other forces in Khartoum as well who feel the sentence was too lenient and so I think it is a matter of doing everything that is possible, doing it very carefully, keeping very focussed and just dealing with things as they arise." Following an hour-long visit to Mrs Gibbons by the British ambassador on Sunday, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "Ms Gibbons's welfare remains our priority and we will continue to provide full consular assistance for as long as Ms Gibbons is detained. "Government ministers and officials in London and Sudan are continuing to do everything they can to try to resolve this consular issue as quickly as possible through intense activity on a wide range of channels." The two peers have already held meetings with Sudanese government officials, including the foreign minister, to try to resolve the situation. Mrs Gibbons's chief defence lawyer has said he expected her to be pardoned following the peers' visit. He told the BBC that he had advised his client not to appeal against the verdict or the sentence "for practical and not legal reasons", and she had accepted his advice. In her first public comment since her arrest, Mrs Gibbons said she had been treated well and made a light-hearted comment that she been given so many apples that she "could set up my own stall". However despite her apparent good spirits, she is being held in secret due to fears for her safety after crowds of protesters marched in the capital Khartoum on Friday demanding a tougher sentence. Some called for the death penalty.
SPORTS Manuel Jose backed by Ahly boss Matthew Kenyon BBC Sport, Cairo Jose has guided Ahly to 12 titles in the past three years       Al Ahly coach Manuel Jose has been backed by a key board member at the club. Jose was barracked and abused by sections of the crowd after his side were beaten in the second leg of the final of the Champions League. They went down 3-1 to the new title holders, Tunisia's Etoile du Sahel, in the Cairo Stadium on Friday. But Ahly Director Khaled Mortagy told the BBC's African sports programme Fast Track that he hopes Jose stays to help regenerate the side. "Manuel Jose is a great man, and of great value to the club," he said. "No-one else has achieved what he has in the 100 year history of the club, and I hope he will always stay with us." Jose has guided Ahly to 12 titles in the past three years - including two consecutive Champions League crowns. He also took them to the Champions League title in a previous stint with the club. He recently signed a one year contract extension, believed to last until the end of the current Egyptian season. Some Ahly fans also think the core of the present team is too old. But Mortagey insisted experience is important, using AC Milan's success in the European Champions League last season as an example. Instead, he pointed to player burn-out as a big problem. "If you look at the last three years our players took something like ten or eleven days rest, which is not enough," he said. "You look at any club, and players need at least four weeks to rest, but unfortunately this is not the case in Egypt." Nevertheless, he remains confident that Al Ahly can once again dominate in Africa. "I believe Ahly has a very good platform and a very good base to make sure we will win again," he told BBC Sport.
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