Fighting between troops and rebels kills 247, govt says

Sudan-backed rebels, who crossed the border from neighbouring Sudan, clashed with Chadian troops for a second day in eastern Chad, rebel sources said. The government says 247 people have been killed in the fighting so far.Two days of fighting in the east of Chad has claimed 247 lives, including 225 rebel combatants, the government's spokesman said Friday in what he called a provisional casualty toll.Speaking at a press briefing, Communications Minister Mahamat Hissene added that 127 rebel vehicles had been captured, and 93 destroyed, during combat that erupted on Thursday and raged into Friday.The fighting concentrated around the town of Am-Dam has raised concerns among UN agencies and aid groups caring for about 450,000 refugees from Sudan and Central African Republic in camps in eastern Chad.The UN Security Council meets Friday to discuss the fighting. France, which has troops in Chad, is also anxiously watching events.The Chad army has bombed the rebels from planes and helicopters since they crossed the Sudanese border on Monday. The Chad government accuses Sudan of backing the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) rebels who say their aim is to take the capital Ndjamena.There were new "violent clashes" early Friday, a rebel spokesman Ali Ordjo Hemchi told AFP in a statement. He said "several dozen" government troops had been killed or wounded and tanks destroyed in the fighting around Houaich, near Am-Dam.