In a letter to Emmanuel Touade, president of the High Council of Communications (Haut conseil de la communication, HCC), RSF protested the decision to bar private, community and associative radio stations from programming "political debates" or "programmes of a political nature" during the entire legislative election campaign. The election is scheduled for 21 April 2002.

Jacqueline Moudeina, a lawyer from Chad, was announced today as the winner of the 2002 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. The announcement comes at the opening of a key meeting, Frontline's Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders, where Ms Moudeina is one of the participants.

The UN Security Council has expressed deep concern over the mounting problems affecting the political and economic situation in the Central African Republic (CAR).

A planned 665 mile (1,070 km) pipeline from southern Chad to Cameroon's Atlantic coast promises riches for both countries - especially for dirt-poor and landlocked Chad whose economy could be transformed by around $2 billion in royalties over 25 years. But the scheme has drawn criticism from human rights and lobby groups worried about environmental damage and that revenues will not benefit ordinary people. Some campaigners have urged a halt until a firmer regulatory framework can be created.

Chad's government does not plan to extradite the former military chief of the Central African Republic (CAR), who fled to Chad on Friday after several days of fighting in the CAR capital Bangui, Chadian government spokesman Moukhatar Wawa Dahab told IRIN on Monday.