Chad accuses Sudan of bombing villages

Chad's government said Thursday two Sudanese planes have been bombing villages on the Chadian side of their shared border for two days, causing an unspecified number of deaths.

In an official statement, the government demanded a stop to the attacks along the border, frequently crossed by Sudanese rebels fighting in the western Darfur region and Chadian rebels who operate from bases inside Sudan. It said the government reserves the right to respond with force. "Chad's government informs national and international opinion that two Sudanese aircraft have been bombing since (Wednesday)," the statement said. "Chad condemns this new Sudanese aggression."

The Sudanese ambassador was also called to receive an official protest.

Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor, the minister for communications, called on the United Nations, African Union and regional organizations to act immediately to stop the Sudanese attacks.

The bombings focused on the border towns of Gregui and Kariari.

Sudanese officials were not immediately available for comment and it was not possible to independently confirm that any attacks had taken place because of the remoteness of the area.

Sudan and Chad have repeatedly accused each other of backing rebels in each other's countries, and both have denied the allegations. The two countries have also repeatedly signed peace deals promising to stop the border fighting.

U.N. officials have repeatedly warned of the possibility of increasing violence in the region where Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic meet. Four years of fighting in Sudan's Darfur region has left more than 200,000 people dead.