Online Reporter
The Central African state’s president has ordered the border with war‑torn Sudan to be closed amid deadly incursions.
Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno has ordered the army to retaliate against attacks from Sudan after a drone strike killed at least 17 people, including mourners, near the border between the two countries.
The border town of Tiné was struck on Wednesday afternoon during a funeral gathering at a house.
A resident cited by Reuters said two explosions hit the area, with casualties including children who had been playing nearby.
Chadian officials have blamed “Sudanese belligerents” for the strike, accusing them of seeking to destabilise the former French colony by “transferring their own intercommunal conflict” there.
At an emergency meeting held in response to the incident, President Déby — appearing in full military uniform — described the attack as “outrageous” and a “blatant aggression” against Chad’s territorial integrity.
He warned that future assaults will not be tolerated and instructed the Chadian National Army to “respond to any attack, regardless of its source, whether from the Sudanese government or the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).”
The incident comes amid escalating violence linked to Sudan’s ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF, which has spilled over into border regions.
The fighting, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, according to the UN.
Sudan’s war and accusations of foreign meddling
Recent weeks have seen a rise in drone attacks in western Sudan, including strikes on markets and civilian areas near the Chadian border. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported multiple incidents causing civilian casualties, including attacks that killed and injured dozens in Darfur.
Chad last month shut its eastern border with Sudan after five soldiers and three civilians were killed in clashes allegedly involving both the SAF and the RSF. At least 12 others were wounded in the incident, which also occurred in Tiné, according to officials.
On Wednesday, President Déby ordered national defence and security forces to “secure the entire border between Chad and Sudan … and to deal firmly with any developments.”- Reuters
