Chad calms refugee and oil fears
Chad has withdrawn a threat to expel Darfur refugees and extended a deadline on a threat to halt oil production.
Chad had threatened to stop oil production by Tuesday if it did not receive $100m worth of oil revenues from a US-led consortium.
The World Bank froze Chad's oil payments amid concern over corruption.
Chad also threatened last week to expel 200,000 refugees who had fled Sudan's Darfur region. Chad blames Sudan for a rebel attack on its capital last week.
Security concerns
Chadian President Idriss Deby has said he would not expel the refugees, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Monday.
"I am pleased to report that he has reaffirmed that refugees will not be refouled [forcibly returned] and Chad will abide by international principles," Mr Guterres said on Monday, after he interrupted his Easter break to speak to Mr Deby on Sunday.
"President Deby expressed his understandable concern about the difficulties involved in providing security both to the refugees and to the humanitarian organisations that are helping them," Mr Guterres said in a statement.
The threat to return the Sudanese refugees by June was condemned by the US.
Aid agencies feared it would make it even more difficult to help them, as violence continues to rage in Darfur.
Sudan denies backing Chad's rebels and in turn accuses Chad of backing rebels in Darfur, where some two million people have fled their homes during a three-year conflict.
Oil dispute
Also on Monday, the government said it would extend until end of April the deadline which it had imposed in relation to a dispute over oil payments.
"The government is happy to accept the American government's offer of mediation and has decided to grant the time proposed for this mediation by the US State Department, that is, until the end of April," said a government statement read on state radio.
Last December the Chadian government fell out with the World Bank, after it changed a law which carefully controlled how oil revenues were spent.
The World Bank, which financially backs the oil project, repeatedly asked Chad not to change the law but it went ahead anyway.
In response, the Bank froze all payments of oil revenues to the government.
Since then, the consortium which runs the pipeline led by US oil giant Exxon Mobil has been storing Chad's share of the oil profits.
Five months of talks between Chad and the World Bank have failed to break the stalemate.
Chad had threatened to stop oil production by Tuesday if it did not receive $100m worth of oil revenues from a US-led consortium.
The World Bank froze Chad's oil payments amid concern over corruption.
Chad also threatened last week to expel 200,000 refugees who had fled Sudan's Darfur region. Chad blames Sudan for a rebel attack on its capital last week.
Security concerns
Chadian President Idriss Deby has said he would not expel the refugees, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Monday.
"I am pleased to report that he has reaffirmed that refugees will not be refouled [forcibly returned] and Chad will abide by international principles," Mr Guterres said on Monday, after he interrupted his Easter break to speak to Mr Deby on Sunday.
"President Deby expressed his understandable concern about the difficulties involved in providing security both to the refugees and to the humanitarian organisations that are helping them," Mr Guterres said in a statement.
The threat to return the Sudanese refugees by June was condemned by the US.
Aid agencies feared it would make it even more difficult to help them, as violence continues to rage in Darfur.
Sudan denies backing Chad's rebels and in turn accuses Chad of backing rebels in Darfur, where some two million people have fled their homes during a three-year conflict.
Oil dispute
Also on Monday, the government said it would extend until end of April the deadline which it had imposed in relation to a dispute over oil payments.
"The government is happy to accept the American government's offer of mediation and has decided to grant the time proposed for this mediation by the US State Department, that is, until the end of April," said a government statement read on state radio.
Last December the Chadian government fell out with the World Bank, after it changed a law which carefully controlled how oil revenues were spent.
The World Bank, which financially backs the oil project, repeatedly asked Chad not to change the law but it went ahead anyway.
In response, the Bank froze all payments of oil revenues to the government.
Since then, the consortium which runs the pipeline led by US oil giant Exxon Mobil has been storing Chad's share of the oil profits.
Five months of talks between Chad and the World Bank have failed to break the stalemate.
posted by TIUranta at 11:56 AM
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