Chad's army fought to hold off advancing rebels 100 km (60 miles) from the capital N'Djamena on Friday and the renewed combat delayed the deployment of European peacekeepers to the central African country. Up to 3,700 European Union troops were due to arrive in coming weeks on an urgent peacekeeping mission to eastern Chad, but anti-government rebels pre-empted the deployment with a lightning offensive this week towards the capital in the west.