The president of the Central African Republic has accused Sudan of backing rebels who have seized control of a northeastern town.
C.A.R. President Francois Bozize says Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir was behind the rebel attack. Mr. Bozize made the comment Wednesday after meeting with Chad's president Idriss Deby in the Chadian capital, N'djamena.
Sudan has yet to respond to the accusation.
Rebels seized the Central African Republic town of Birao on Monday. The rebels describe themselves as a coalition of movements opposed to the Bozize government.
Birao is located some 800 kilometers northeast of the capital, Bangui, in a region the government does not fully control.
Over the past year, insecurity has grown in the northern part of C.A.R, which borders both Chad and Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. The operation of armed groups in the area has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
Central African Republic officials have appealed to the United Nations for help, asking the world body to send peacekeepers.
Last Friday, the U.N. said it was considering sending a mission to the Central African Republic and Chad to examine ways of protecting refugees from violence.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.