Paris, Feb 6, 2019 (AFP) – French warplanes have carried out fresh attacks against an armed convoy which crossed into Chad from Libya, after initial strikes over the weekend failed to halt its advance, the French army said Wednesday. Acting in conjunction with Chad’s government, French Mirage 2000 jets targeted the convoy again on Tuesday and Wednesday, destroying about 20 of roughly 50 pickup trucks the rebels started out with, the armed forces said in a statement. An armed forces spokesman said this week the convoy had crossed 400 kilometres (250 miles) of Chadian territory before being halted “between Tibesti and Ennedi” in the northwest. Under President Idriss Deby, a former head of the armed forces, the country has taken a leading role in the fight against jihadism in the Sahel region. The latest incursion follows several recent air strikes by the Chadian air force against Libya-based rebels in the far north.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 06, 2019 18:45 UTC