Chinese nationals were being evacuated from Chad, a Foreign
Ministry spokesman said Saturday.
Heavy fighting broke out on Friday near the capital, N'Djamena,
between government soldiers and an allied rebel force hostile
toward President Idriss Deby, sources said.
The fighting broke out in Massaguet, about 50 kilometers
northeast of N'Djamena.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the
situation might deteriorate. The ministry has quickly initiated an
emergency response mechanism to organize the evacuation of overseas
Chinese.
With the help of the Chinese embassy in Chad, 212 Chinese
compatriots, including two from Taiwan, were evacuated to
neighboring Cameroon. The embassy in Cameroon made relevant
arrangements for the stranded Chinese.
Currently, about 80 Chinese remained in N'Djamena. The Chinese
embassy in Chad was keeping close contact with them and would help
to evacuate them as quickly as possible if necessary, Liu said.
The Department of Consular Affairs of the Chinese Foreign
Ministry recently issued a warning telling Chinese not to tour
Chad.
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(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2008)
