Chadian Army, Rebels Battle a Second Day

Gunfire echoed through the Chadian capital of N'Djamena today, as government forces struggled to fight back rebels on the second day of an offensive which they claimed had trapped the president in his palace, the AP reports. A spokesman for France's military—which maintains a presence in its former colony—says the outcome is far from certain: "Nobody can say who will win."

Despite the insurgents' claims, however, a French minister said Chad's president "still has command over practically all of the Chadian army." But the French may not intervene as they have in past rebel attacks, for such action could endanger a planned EU peacekeeping mission. (More Chad stories.)