Chad's main airport re-opened

The official told reporters that an Air France flight from Paris landed on Tuesday morning. The French company plans initially to make four of its usual seven weekly scheduled flights.

The airport also serves as a military base for Chadian troops and the bulk of a permanent French military force in the West African country, which was increased during the insurgency to 1,450 troops.

The rebels who battled for the capital on the weekend of 2 - 3 February were driven out by troops loyal to President Idriss Deby Itno and were on Monday headed back towards the border with Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR).

The capital was placed under curfew last week after the fierce fighting, but this was lifted on Sunday 10 February, though a night curfew remains in force in provinces in eastern and southern Chad, since the intentions of the rebels remained unclear.

The reopening of the civilian runway at N'Djamena is indispensable to the deployment in Chad of a European peacekeeping force of 3,700 troops, mainly French.

They are mandated by the United Nations to protect refugees from the crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region, as well as internally displaced people in Chad and the CAR.

After a delay because of the insurgency, commanders and a military spokesperson for this force, EUFOR Chad-CAR, said they wanted to deploy on the ground as quickly as possible, but the military part of Ndjamena airport lacked the capacity for their huge Antonov transport planes.

In the wake of the failed coup d'etat in Chad's capital N'Djamena, at least 15 South Africans living in the central African nation, were tracked down by the Department of Foreign Affairs, which made arrangements for their evacuation.

At least 12 South Africans were evacuated via Gabon last week, with the assistance of the French military, and have now arrived safely in South Africa.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews