LAMIDJA (AP):

Chadian soldiers were massing along a strategic road yesterday in pickup trucks mounted with machine guns as a rebel convoy was spotted heading toward the capital of this volatile African nation.

As dusk fell in the capital, N'djamena, usually bustling streets quickly emptied as rumours flew that the rebels might arrive within hours. Government troops set up roadblocks in Lamidja, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the capital, and were searching cars and fighting-age men.

The Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) is a union of several rebel groups opposed to President Idriss Deby, who first took power at the head of his own rebel army in 1990. The group has had sporadic clashes with the government since 2005 and launched a failed attack on the capital in April.

Power struggle

The competition for power has become more intense since Chad began exporting oil in 2004.

In a radio broadcast yesterday, Chad's Communications Minister, Moussa Doumgor, repeated accusations that neighbouring Sudan is financing the rebels. Sudan has denied the accusations. But Doumgor also added a new dimension to the conflict, accusing Saudi Arabia of supporting the rebels as well.

On Saturday, rebels launched an attack and claimed to have seized Abeche, the largest city in the country's volatile east, but pulled out yesterday before government troops arrived. A United Nations agency report confirmed that a rebel convoy had been spotted crossing a village west of Abeche, driving toward the capital on the sole highway linking the two regions.