Child 'kidnap' suspects sent to Chadian capital

Sixteen Europeans and four Chadians facing charges of abducting 103 children were flown to N'Djamena on Friday where the case against them will be re-examined by a new judge.
They joined another suspect in the case, a Belgian pilot, who was already in custody in the Chadian capital.
Their transfer and a shift in jurisdiction from Abeche in eastern Chad to N'Djamena has led to speculation that some of the accused might soon be released.
The case stems from an attempt by a French charity, Zoe's Ark, to airlift to France 103 children that the charity had identified as orphans from the bloody conflict in Sundan's Darfur region.
UN humanitarian agencies and the Red Cross have since suggested that most of the children are actually Chadian and may not be orphans at all.
UNICEF spokeswoman Miranda Eeles said Friday that aid workers planned to meet village and community leaders around the Chadian towns of Adre and Tine near the Sudanese border to try and shed more light on the children's background.
"At the moment we're not entirely sure if they're Chadian or Sudanese," Eeles said.
The 20 accused flown to the capital on Friday -- six French charity workers, three French journalists, seven Spanish flight crew and two Chadians -- had been held in Abeche for the past week.