Aozou Strip

Chad and Libya agreed Thursday to settle a border dispute that began when Libyan tanks crossed the desert and invaded northern Chad in 1973. Authorities said the two countries signed an accord to settle sovereignty of the 45,000-square-mile Aozou Strip within a year, or, failing that, to let the International Court of Justice in The Hague decide. The agreement also calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of all forces in northern Chad and the freeing of political prisoners.

Chad and Libya agreed Thursday to settle a border dispute that began when Libyan tanks crossed the desert and invaded northern Chad in 1973. Authorities said the two countries signed an accord to settle sovereignty of the 45,000-square-mile Aozou Strip within a year, or, failing that, to let the International Court of Justice in The Hague decide. The agreement also calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of all forces in northern Chad and the freeing of political prisoners.

Zambian President Kenneth D. Kaunda, chairman of the Organization of African Unity, and other African heads of state will meet today in Lusaka to try to bring Chad and Libya to the negotiating table, ending one of Africa's longest-running conflicts. The meeting follows an OAU-sponsored truce after four weeks of fighting over the disputed Aozou Strip.

Zambian President Kenneth D. Kaunda, chairman of the Organization of African Unity, and other African heads of state will meet today in Lusaka to try to bring Chad and Libya to the negotiating table, ending one of Africa's longest-running conflicts. The meeting follows an OAU-sponsored truce after four weeks of fighting over the disputed Aozou Strip.

The Chadian government announced Saturday that its troops have recaptured the town of Aozou from Libya, breaking Tripoli's 14-year grip on a disputed desert region along the border between the two countries. A military statement read on state-run N'Djamena radio Saturday night said government forces retook the remote desert town after blunting a Libyan advance on Bardai, about 43 miles southwest of Aozou.

President Francois Mitterrand of France chided Chad on Monday for seizing military control of the disputed Aozou Strip in the north and refused the Chadians any French protection against retaliation there by Libya. The cold and careful Mitterrand statement, made to two French journalists, reflected the concern in Paris that President Hissen Habre of Chad may have upset an unusual period of tranquility in the central African country by sending troops into the strip.

Chad's military command said that 170 Libyans were killed and 54 were taken prisoner in repulsing a Libyan ground and air attack on the northern town of Aozou, which government forces captured from Libya on Aug. 8. The announcement also said President Hissen Habre's forces reported one Chadian soldier killed, 16 wounded and four vehicles destroyed in the Friday attack by Libya.

Government troops drove 60 miles into Libyan territory Saturday and destroyed the air and ground base at Matan as Sarra in Libya's southeast, the Chadian military command reported. The official Libyan news agency, JANA, acknowledged that Chadian troops had attacked Libyan territory and said they struck at the "civilian Sarra airport."

Chad and Libya signed a peace accord today that calls for an end to fighting over a disputed strip of desert that has been the focus of 16 years of bloodshed, diplomats said. The agreement was signed in Algiers by Chadian Foreign Minister Acheikh Ibn Oumar and his Libyan counterpart, Jaddallah Talhi. The agreement calls for the parties to try to resolve their dispute through a political settlement within a year.

President Francois Mitterrand of France chided Chad on Monday for seizing military control of the disputed Aozou Strip in the north and refused the Chadians any French protection against retaliation there by Libya. The cold and careful Mitterrand statement, made to two French journalists, reflected the concern in Paris that President Hissen Habre of Chad may have upset an unusual period of tranquility in the central African country by sending troops into the strip.

The Chadian government announced Saturday that its troops have recaptured the town of Aozou from Libya, breaking Tripoli's 14-year grip on a disputed desert region along the border between the two countries. A military statement read on state-run N'Djamena radio Saturday night said government forces retook the remote desert town after blunting a Libyan advance on Bardai, about 43 miles southwest of Aozou.