Scores of rebels are in army custody in northern Chad following air strikes to repel an incursion from Libya, Chad’s army and intelligence sources said..
The army said it captured more than 250 rebels from the Union of Forces of Resistance (UFR), a Libya-based rebel coalition trying to topple President Idriss Deby and destroyed more than 40 vehicles.
The rebels drove about 50 pick-up trucks more than 600 km into Chadian territory almost unopposed before facing several days of French and Chadian air strikes.
Intelligence sources told Reuters about 100 rebels were being held after surrendering.
France’s military said its warplanes destroyed about 20 pick-up trucks after a request from Deby for support.
France sees Deby, who came to power in a 1990 coup, as key to a wider regional fight against Islamist militants. Human rights activists say he has cracked down on dissent.
