The government of Chad has announced the immediate closure of its border with neighbouring Sudan following violent clashes linked to Sudan’s ongoing civil war that left five Chadian soldiers dead.
In a statement issued on Monday, Chadian authorities cited “repeated incursions and violations committed by forces in Sudan’s conflict” as the reason for the decision. The move underscores growing concerns in N’Djamena over the spillover of violence from Sudan’s protracted war.
According to a Chadian official, the fighting erupted in the border town of Tiné, where confrontations between Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and troops loyal to the Sudanese government crossed into Chadian territory. In addition to the five soldiers killed, three civilians also lost their lives, while at least twelve others sustained injuries.
This is not the first time Sudan’s civil war has spilled across the frontier, causing casualties and property damage inside Chad. The latest escalation comes just weeks before the conflict in Sudan marks its fourth year.
The humanitarian toll of the war continues to deepen. The United Nations has described the crisis in Sudan as the world’s worst and largest hunger emergency, with millions displaced and in urgent need of assistance.
Chad, which has already received large numbers of refugees fleeing the conflict, now faces heightened security and humanitarian pressures as instability along its eastern border persists.
Melissa Enoch
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