Just two months after their latest attempt at a peace accord, Sudan and neighbouring Chad have once again broken off relations after an attack by Darfur rebels close to the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Sudan's President Omar el-Beshir, often accused by Chad's head of state Idriss Deby Itno of trying to overthrow him, took action to sever diplomatic ties, accusing Chad of backing a Darfur rebel assault on Khartoum. His government said it had repulsed the assault by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), allegedly backed by Chad, which saw the insurgents reach Khartoum's outskirts with the declared intent of toppling the regime. "We are forced to sever diplomatic relations with this regime" in Chad, President Omar al-Beshir said on television. "We place the entire responsibility for this attack on Chad."