Rebels Mount Coup Attempt Against President

For the second time in a month, members of a Christian missionary group were forced to flee, and suspend flights into a beleaguered country, due to outbreaks of violence. The Mission Aviation Fellowship's team in Chad evacuated Saturday to nearby Garoua, Cameroon, as rebels bent on a coup attempt advanced on the country’s capital of N’Djamena.

According to Christian Today, the group received notice from the US embassy Thursday to restrict travel within N'Djamena, as the Chadian army fought to hold off rebels advancing towards the capital. All schools in the city were also closed.

Fighting grew even more fierce Friday... forcing the MAF team to spend the night in its hangar, ready to evacuate if needed. "Battle has recommenced not far away," Mike Riley, MAF's Country Director, wrote in an email Friday night. "We’ve been advised to evacuate, so we are just about to leave and head to Garoua in Cameroon."

The surge in violence comes as European peacekeepers are scheduled to arrive in coming weeks, in an attempt to protect hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing from similar violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

The rebels have threatened the peacekeepers, when they do arrive, to steer clear of their efforts to overthrow Chad's President, Lieutenant-General Idriss Deby. European commanders have pledged to not take sides in the conflict.

As ANN reported, last month MAF was also forced to suspend operations in Kenya, after politically-triggered violence rocked the country, and claimed more than 300 lives. The violence has since subsided, and the group has returned to that country.

There appears to be some hope the situation in Chad may come to a similar end. Late Saturday, reports surfaced Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi persuaded the rebels to stop fighting in Chad's capital. Gadahfi was appointed Saturday as a mediator in the crisis by The African Union.

FMI: www.maf.org