Streets of the capital of Chad remain tense, PM s'bite

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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1. Various of traffic in street 2. People walking down street 3. SOUNDBITE: (French) Nouradin Koumakoye, Prime Minister of Chad: "We decided a curfew in some regions, from 18:30 until 06:00, in N'Djamena, in Chari-Baguirmi, Hadjer-Lamis, in Guera, in Batha, in Salamat, in Ouaddai and in Wadi Fira. This measure will be implemented from now." 4. Reporters 5. SOUNDBITE: (French) Nouradin Koumakoye, Prime Minister of Chad: "And the law will be applied to the perpetrators and their accomplices, who we have identified already - they are numerous. We will drive them out of hiding, because they are hiding under beds and in holes where we would be able to identify them. So we will take measures." 6. Wide shot of briefing room 7. Wide shot of municipal worker around bodies in truck 8. Mid shot of workers and truck 9. Bodies in truck 10. Truck driving away bodies 11. Various of traffic in street STORYLINE: The Chadian prime minister on Thursday declared a curfew in the capital N'Djamena and other regions of the country with immediate effect, to help restore order after days of fighting that have left hundreds dead and caused thousands to flee the country. Prime Minister Nouradin Koumakoye announced the dusk-to-dawn curfew in N'Djamena and six southern and eastern regions a day after the president insisted his government had regained total control of the country following weekend clashes with rebels. "We decided a curfew in some regions, from 18:30 until 06:00 (1730 GMT to 0500 GMT)," Koumakoye told reporters, saying it was necessary to "restore calm." Chad's neighbour Sudan has repeatedly denied charges that it supported rebels who entered the capital over the weekend, only to be pushed back by government forces. Over 100 civilians died in the fighting. Chad's President Idriss Deby, in a radio interview with Europe-1 broadcast on Thursday, urged a planned European peacekeeping force to quickly deploy to Chad to ease pressure on his own forces. The EU force's mission is to protect refugees from Sudan's conflict-wracked Darfur region and civilians displaced by fighting in Chad. France, the prime mover behind the peacekeeping plan, has had to work hard to persuade its European allies the force would not be entangled in any effort to prop up Deby. Chad's government and an aide to the French president have accused Khartoum of backing Chadian rebels to prevent deployment of the peacekeepers - Sudan has long resisted such a force. The European force is to number 3,700, with France the biggest troop contributor. Deployment, delayed earlier by logistical problems, was put off again because of the rebel attack on Chad's capital. Deby had made similar comments a day earlier, after France said it would enter the fight against the rebels on his behalf if necessary. The rebels accuse Deby of corruption and embezzling millions of dollars in oil revenue. While many Chadians may share that assessment, the uprising appears to be a power struggle within the elite that has long controlled Chad; rebellion leaders include Mahamat Nouri, a former defence minister, and Timan Erdimi, a nephew of Deby who used to be his chief of staff. Deby said the Chadian army was chasing the rebels, who were fleeing east. However, he did suggest that his government had been weakened. French Defence Minister Herve Morin - who flew to Chad on Wednesday in a show of support for the former colony's government - suggested the rebels had not been routed. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/568b52adaa129bbf4143e3692c45c3f8 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork