UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Saturday voiced concern over the Chadian rebels' advance toward Chad's capital N'djamena, urging dialogue between the warring parties in the central African nation.

"The secretary-general is concerned at reports of increasing rebel military activities in the province of Ouaddai and that they are advancing in the direction of N'djamena," a spokesman for Annan said in a statement issued in New York.

"The secretary-general reiterates his condemnation of any attempt to seize power by force," the spokesman said. "He urges the Chadian protagonists to engage in dialogue, end armed violence in the country and foster national reconciliation."

On Wednesday, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland, who last week visited Sudan's strife-torn region of Darfur, warned the UN Security Council of an increasing spill-over of violence there to Chad.

Source: Xinhua