1. This part of Chad is inaccessible from NDjamena to the west during the rainy season, and the alternative supply route (overland from Libya) cannot possibly supply even the current refugee population.

2. MCCORMACK:В Well, this is -- weve seen these reports, Peter, and theres a lot of speculation going on about who is aiding, supporting, equipping, arming, instigating these people who have used violence in NDjamena, as well as in other parts of Chad.В Frankly, right now we dont know all the facts.В The situation is very murky, so I cant -- confirm for you many of these allegations that Sudan is, in some way, directly responsible for the actions that took place over the past 48 to 72 hours in Chad.

3. MCCORMACK:В The situation in NDjamena is fluid.В At the moment, there is some violence in and around the capital.В Those are the latest reports that we have received.В The American citizens in the capital are accounted for, theyre safe.В And were taking all appropriate measures to ensure that they remain safe.В People who are associated with the embassy are under authorized departure which means that they can choose to leave when conditions allow.В We have a Travel Warning out for Chad as well, which youve seen recently.

4. The weak government of Idriss Deby has declared that it cannot help further in mediation because Khartoum is "supporting rebels [in Darfur] determined to destabilize [the government of Chad] (Reuters [dateline: NDjamena], April 11, 2005). In particular Chad has accused Khartoum of "recruiting and supplying some 3,000 rebels close to the border between the two countries" (Reuters, April 11, 2005). Last week Chads Communications Minister, Barthelemy Natoingar Bainodji, said "Arabs from Chad had been recruited to join the Janjaweed militias accused of widespread atrocities in Darfur" (BBC, April 8, 2005). Given the extremely precarious position of Deby, internally and in his relationship to Khartoum, it is thoroughly unlikely that these accusations are contrived.