January 6, 2008 (KHARTOUM ) — Sudan will repel any attack by neighboring Chad, its armed forces said Sunday, the day after the country threatened to pursue Chadian rebels into Sudan where they have allegedly sought shelter.

A Chadian soldier watches as a transport helicopter flies over the Kapka mountain range near the border with Sudan. (AFP)

"All military bases in western Sudan are ready to deal with any attack launched from Chadian territory," armed forces spokesman Mohamed Osman al-Aghbash was quoted as saying by the official SUNA news agency.

"The Chadian government continues to threaten to attack Sudan saying it is hosting the Chadian opposition...which is not true because our government has no interest in doing that," Aghbash said.

Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno Saturday threatened to pursue and strike Chadian rebels inside Sudan, repeating charges that Khartoum is trying to destabilize his country.

Deby claimed his forces had already driven out the rebels from Chad and said: "We’re going to destroy them in their nest inside Sudan...We’re going to make them eat dust inside Sudan."

Rebels and government forces clashed violently in eastern Chad between Nov. 26 and Dec. 4, scuttling October peace accords signed in Libya.

Already strained for years, ties between Chad and Sudan have further worsened since the clashes erupted. Recently the two countries have traded accusations of aggression and supporting each other’s rebel movements.

Tuesday, Sudan’s military claimed eight of its soldiers were killed and 19 wounded in clashes with rebels backed by Chadian troops in Darfur, just across Chad’s border.

And last week, Sudan said Chadian forces had carried out an air and ground assault in Darfur, charges strongly denied.

Chad claimed last week that Khartoum was preparing a "new aggression" against its neighbor to prevent the deployment of a European Union peacekeeping force in eastern Chad and a joint African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur.

(AFP)