EU willing to mediate Chad conflict, top official says

The European Union is ready to help mediate between the Chadian government and rebel groups, the EU's top humanitarian official said.

Chad faces several rebellions in the east, with some insurgents saying President Idriss Deby has not provided enough support to their kinsmen in the neighboring Darfur region of Sudan. At least 200,000 people have been killed and a further 2.5 million uprooted from their homes in Darfur since a rebellion broke out there in 2003.

The European Union has offered to send a 3,700-strong force to Chad and neighboring Central Africa Republic, both affected by spillover of the conflict in Darfur as well as by internal unrest.

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