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Pope Benedict appeals for end to renewed political violence

Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for an end to renewed violence that has rocked Chad in recent days, reports CISA News.

Reports said the situation in the capital N’Djamena was gradually returning to normal and that some displaced people were returning. But more fighting was reported on the outskirts of the capital. The Red Cross said about 100 corpses were recovered from the streets of the capital after fighting at the weekend.

"In these days", the Pope said on Wednesday, "I feel particularly close to the dear people of Chad, tormented by painful civil conflicts which have caused numerous victims and the flight of thousands of civilians from the capital.

“Also to your prayers and to your solidarity I entrust these suffering brothers and sisters, asking they be spared further violence, and that vital humanitarian assistance be guaranteed. At the same time, I launch a heartfelt appeal for people to lay down their arms and follow the path of dialogue and reconciliation".

Renewed fighting between armed groups and government forces has occasioned a stream of refugees into neighbouring countries.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned the attacks against the Chadian Government and called on all states in the region to cooperate in putting an end to rebel activities and “their attempt to seize power by force.”

The African Union on February 2 mandated Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congo to engage the Chadian parties with a view to ending the fighting and forging a lasting solution to the crisis.

Landlocked Chad, a former French colony, endured three decades of civil war and Libyan invasions before securing peace in 1990. President Iddris Déby, who belongs to the country's ethnic minority, won a contested re-election in 2006.

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[02/11/2008]

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