Chad to try 16 in child airlift
A group of Europeans detained here for trying to take 103 African children out of the country were flown to the capital, N’Djamena, on Friday to face trial.
A reporter saw soldiers escort the 16 Europeans aboard a Chadian military transport plane. They were not allowed to speak to journalists.
The move took place after Chad’s Supreme Court ruled that an N’Djamena court should handle the case.
Charged with abduction and fraud, the main defendants face terms as severe as 20 years of forced labor.
The accused include six French members of a group called Zoe’s Ark, which has said it intended to place orphans from Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, which borders Chad, with European families for foster care.
United Nations and Chadian officials say most of the children were not orphans but came from families living in the border area.
Three French journalists, the Spanish crew of a chartered plane, and a Belgian pilot are among those detained.
Chadian President Idriss Deby has said the French reporters and the Spanish flight attendants could be released soon if it is proved that they were not directly involved in any offense.
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