Assembly/AU/3 (X) Page 15 which paved the way for them to return to their country. Lastly, negotiations entered into in July between the Government and four leaders of political-military movements led to an Agreement solemnly signed in Sirte, Libya, on 25 October 2007. 68. However, the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse in Eastern Chad, when, in the night of 24-25 November 2007, an armed group attacked a national police company at a locality less than 100 kms from the city of Abéché. On 26 November 2007, heavy fighting erupted 90 kms to the East of Abéché, between the rebel forces and the Chadian National Army. It was against this background that, on 1 December 2007, the Minister of Defense, Mahamat Adbelkérim Nour, was dismissed from the Government. Formerly the leader of the United Front for Change (FUC), Mahamat Nour had signed, in Tripoli, on 24 December 2006, an Agreement with the Government by which he joined the Cabinet on 4 March 2007. However, the reluctance of his troops to be disarmed and the skirmishes that followed in November 2007 in Guéréda, pointed a finger of suspicion as to whether his movement was really intent on honoring the Agreement signed in Tripoli. 69. Clashes in the East of Chad revived the polemic between Chad and The Sudan. Chad held The Sudan responsible. The two countries continued to trade accusations of violation of their territorial integrity and acts of destabilization. The Commission, for its part, urged the two Governments to show restraint and to do their utmost to diffuse the ongoing tension and contribute to re-establishment of normalcy along their common border. h) Central African Republic (CAR) 70. As part of efforts at consolidating the return of peace in the CAR, the CAR Government has, since the beginning of 2007, been engaged in talks with the political/military groups. These efforts have continued to be directed to People’s Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (APRD), a rebel movement that has remained active in the North-West and in the North of the country. Mention should also be made of the problems encountered in the implementation of the Peace Agreements signed in Sirte, Libya; and in Birao, CAR, in February and April 2007, with the Central African People’s Democratic Front (FDPC) and the Union of Democratic Forces (UFDR), respectively. Lastly, the CAR continued to be faced with the blight of organized crime perpetrated by highway bandits. 71. The CAR defense and security forces, still being restructured were yet to attain the level of operational capacity required to deal with the security situation prevailing in the country; and hence the need to maintain the presence of the CEMAC Multinational Force (FOMUC). The Commission also supported the successive requests of CEMAC for the EU to continue to fund FOMUC under the Peace Facility for Africa (PFA). In addition, the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), at their Summit held in Brazzaville, on 30 October 2007, further highlighted the need to keep the Force, and to this end, instructed the ECCAS Committee of Ambassadors to study the modalities of transferring the supervisory authority from CEMAC to the ECCAS. 72. It was in this context that Central African countries were preparing the inclusive political dialogue, which would have to take on board the politico-military movements. On 30 November 2007, the Head of State François Bozizé promulgated