In a statement issued, the Chadian Army Staff stated that Chadian government forces had "completely destroyed a berth of rebels who had been infiltrated in the north of the Kanim area," adding that "sweeps are continuing to capture the last fugitives," and the final outcome will be announced at a later date.

The Chadian Minister of Communication, a government spokesman, Sharif Mohamed Zain, wrote on his Twitter account that "the adventure of mercenaries from Libya ended as previously announced."

The Minister stated that the fighting was taking place about 50 kilometres from the border with Niger and about 200 kilometres from the town of Mau, some 300 kilometres from the Chadian capital N'Djamena.

Four tanks and several soldiers were reportedly stationed yesterday evening at the northern entrance to the capital, while military mechanisms continued to exit the city towards the front.

Last week, the rebels of the "Chad Rotation and Consensus Front" (a Chadian military political group, most of whose supporters are members of the Sahrawi Atrian tribes) penetrated into the north of the country and last Tuesday announced their control of the entire Tib area at Libya's border.

This came in conjunction with the presidential election held in Chad on April 11, and is certainly in the interest of the incumbent president, Idris Deby Atno, who has been governing the country for three decades.