The Chadian army has said rebels attacked an area near the northern border on Sunday, the day of the country's presidential election.

The army said on Monday that "steps had been taken to neutralise" the incursion at Zouarké, about 1,000km (620 miles) north of the capital N'Djamena.

A political-military group, the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (Fact) founded by dissident army officers in 2016, claimed responsibility for the attack, the Reuters news agency reported.

It reported that the group, which blamed President Idriss Deby for repression over the elections, had disputed the government's portrayal of the attack.

President Deby is expected to extend his 30-year year rule in the election whose results have not yet been announced.