The Chadian authorities have moved to formally close the common border with Sudan and freeze all the existing economic relations between the two countries following heightened tensions, according to official sources.
The decision, which appears to be in response to Khartoum's move to sever diplomatic relations with Chad Sunday, was announced following an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Monday.
"The decision was taken to ensure the security of Chad and its citizens, to protect its economic and cultural interests" and also "to preempt any surprises," said a statement issued at the end of government meeting presided by President Idriss Deby Itno.
The government has decided to "seal the eastern border (with Sudan) to avoid infiltration," said the statement, adding that the "activities of the Agricultural Commercial Bank (a Chadian-based Sudanese bank) and financial transactions between Chad and Sudan had also been banned."
On Sunday, Sudan broke its diplomatic relations with Chad, accusing N'Djamena of supporting an attack that was conducted against Khartoum on Saturday by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the most militarily powerful of rebel groups based in the war-ravaged western Sudanese region of Darfur.
"We attribute the responsibility for the attack to Chad," Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir had said shortly after the attack, but Chadian authorities have denied "any involvement" in the attack.
The government, which has designated Libya to "represent its interests in Sudan," has also decided "to prohibit the export of live cattle and any national product through Sudan," said the statement.
"This measure will apply to all, including the herders who must now restrict their movements to the national territory without crossing the border into Sudan," according to the statement. Many Chadian farmers normally sell their cattle and products to their Sudanese counterparts.
"Finally, the government reserves itself the right to consider taking any other measures that could ensure security, independence and peace in Chad," said the statement.
On Sunday, the Chadian government had announced that it had learned "with great surprise" of the Sudanese decision to sever diplomatic relations and had taken "note of the hasty decision with regret."
Over the past five years, the two neighboring countries have maintained very tense and turbulent relations. The countries, which have been trading wild accusations, are at loggerheads over the presence of two simmering rebellions inside their respective territories.
Earlier this year, N'Djamena had accused Sudan of having "ordered" three Chadian rebel outfits to form an alliance ahead of a largely successful onslaught on N'Djamena that was designed to topple the regime of President Deby on Feb. 2 and 3.
Shortly afterwards, the leaders of the two countries, following much prodding from African leaders, met on the sidelines of an Islamic conference in Dakar and signed a peace agreement that was described as the "Final Solution" by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.
The agreement, according to many regional analysts, has now befallen a fate keen to a series of other previously signed accords that were never implemented or honored mainly due to deeply-seated mistrust between the two countries.
Source:Xinhua
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