Fighting has stopped - at least for now - in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena, a Chadian diplomat and a rebel spokesman said Tuesday, as aid agencies struggled to care for more than 20,000 refugees across the border in Cameroon. "The Chadian army is strong and is in control of everything," said Maitine Djoumbe, Chad's ambassador to the EU, speaking from N'Djamena. "There isn't yet a ceasefire because the rebels haven't yet decided whether or not to surrender."Rebels attacked the Chadian capital on Saturday in an attempt to overthrow the government. The fighting forced thousands to flee the capital, most of them going to the Cameroonian city of Kousseri, just across the river from N'Djamena.
Chad accuses neighboring Sudan of supporting the rebels, but Sudan denies the accusation, instead blaming the problem on rebel movements within Chad.
In an interview with Radio France Internationale, the spokesman for the rebel alliance, Abderaman Koulamallah, said his group accepted the principle of a cease-fire, but it was not clear if the rebels would immediately stop fighting.
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