PUPILS IN CHAD FIRED UPON !

Chad forces open fire on pupils.
By Stephanie Hancock BBC News, Chad.

Security forces in Chad have opened fire on secondary school pupils who were holding a demonstration in the south of the country. There are conflicting reports about casualties, but at least eight people are confirmed to have been injured. Thursday's protest in the town of Pala, 300km (186 miles) south of the capital, is the second of its kind in two weeks. Students held a similar protest in nearby Bongor and a military helicopter had to be deployed to restore calm.

Secondary school students in Pala were angry that their teachers have not been paid for three months. They held a demonstration to support their teachers, who have announced they want to go on strike. It is not known exactly how the violence erupted.

The government spokesman said the children began the incident by kicking at members of the security forces and breaking the window of a military vehicle. At that point the gendarmes opened fire on the young demonstrators, he said. Initially, state radio reported that eight people were injured - two seriously - and two had also died after being hit by stray bullets.

But in an interview on Friday, the government spokesman told the BBC there had not been any deaths. However, eyewitness accounts and other unofficial reports suggest the casualties may have been much higher, with as many as two people dead and 17 injured.