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| Chad case children 'not orphans' | Chad case children 'not orphans' |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| International agencies have rejected the "war orphan" label given to 103 children at the centre of a child abduction scandal in Chad. | International agencies have rejected the "war orphan" label given to 103 children at the centre of a child abduction scandal in Chad. |
| A joint report by two UN agencies and the Red Cross said 91 of the children came from a home with at least one adult whom they considered a parent. | |
| The agencies said most of the 21 girls and 82 boys, aged 1-10, came from villages in Chad near the Sudan border. | |
| Six workers from the French Zoe's Ark charity are charged with kidnapping. | Six workers from the French Zoe's Ark charity are charged with kidnapping. |
| Three French journalists and seven Spanish air crew are also facing charges. | Three French journalists and seven Spanish air crew are also facing charges. |
| The charity said the children came from Darfur, on the Sudanese side of the border, while local reports said they were from Chad. | The charity said the children came from Darfur, on the Sudanese side of the border, while local reports said they were from Chad. |
| A wife of one of the accused charity workers said they only wanted to rescue the children and give them a better life. | A wife of one of the accused charity workers said they only wanted to rescue the children and give them a better life. |
| 'Probably Chadian' | |
| The joint report said that the overwhelming majority of the children had close relatives of some kind. | |
| 'We are not child traffickers' | |
| "In the course of the conversations ... 91 of the children mentioned a family environment consisting of at least one adult person that they considered a parent," it said. | |
| The report said 85 of the children came from the Adre et Tine border areas of Chad, but did not mention their nationalities. | |
| UNHCR spokeswoman Annette Rehrl in the Chadian border town of Abeche told BBC News the children were most probably Chadian but could also be Sudanese as both ethnicities lived on both sides of the border. | |
| Most of the children were aged 3-5 and were too young to be asked about their nationality, Ms Rehrl added, saying it would take time to find and ask their parents. | |
| The affair has caused a diplomatic storm between Chad and its former colonial power, France, although France has condemned the charity's activities. | The affair has caused a diplomatic storm between Chad and its former colonial power, France, although France has condemned the charity's activities. |
| Correspondents say there have been worries the affair would damage relations - France is the main backer of a European Union peace force due to go to the region in the next few weeks to protect Darfur refugees. | Correspondents say there have been worries the affair would damage relations - France is the main backer of a European Union peace force due to go to the region in the next few weeks to protect Darfur refugees. |
| People in Abeche came out onto the streets on Wednesday in protest at the alleged kidnappings. |