Reprieve in Chad Gives Thousands a Chance to Flee

As rebels retreated from the city, international denunciation of the coup attempt grew louder.

The U.N. Security Council issued a statement saying it "strongly condemns these attacks and all attempts at destabilization" and supports efforts by the African Union to mediate the conflict.

The council did not agree to a French request seeking approval to use "all necessary means" to put down the rebellion but did call on member states to "provide support in conformity with the U.N. charter, as requested by the government of Chad."

The French ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Maurice Ripert, said in a statement: "It is essential that in this very difficult moment, President Déby get all the help he needs to end violence in Chad."

France's plans for its forces in Chad, which include strike aircraft, remained unclear. President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered Mirage fighters to survey the Sudanese border to ensure there is no "foreign incursion." Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said his government hoped it "wouldn't have to use" the new U.N. authorization.

In the meantime, the French military has been leading the evacuation of foreign citizens, picking some up in armored vehicles for transport to the capital's airport. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that fewer than 100 U.S. citizens have been taken out of the country and that some have stayed behind. The U.S. Embassy has been evacuated.

The U.N. World Food Program announced Monday that assistance to 400,000 people in Chad was in peril because of the fighting. Unless peace was restored quickly, the pre-placement of food in eastern Chad, near Darfur, could be interrupted in advance of the five-month rainy season, which begins in June.

The agency was sending a team to northern Cameroon, near the Chadian capital, to assess humanitarian needs there as civilians fled the fighting.

Staff writer Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.