Rebels and robbers rampage in eastern Chad

-- The village of Gouroukoun sits in a giant valley, 100 km from the Chad-Sudan border.

Normally this valley is almost empty, but hundreds of temporary shelters now dot the landscape.

It looks like a refugee camp, but the people squatting here are Chadians, who have been forced to flee their homes near the border with Sudan.

Several different armed groups - both rebels and robbers - are operating in parts of this area, while Chad's army has withdrawn to key towns, leaving much of the border unguarded.

Up to 50,000 people are currently squatting on the outskirts of villages, after leaving their own homes in the border region. --