At Least 40 Soldiers Killed in Deadly Attack on Chadian Military Base

An attack on a military base in Chad has resulted in the deaths of over 40 soldiers, as confirmed by the nation’s president. Learn more about the incident and its impact on regional security.

Unidentified attackers killed at least 40 soldiers in an overnight assault on a military base located in the western part of Chad, as reported by the nation’s presidency on Monday.

Early in the morning, President Mahamat Deby Itno visited a base on Barkaram Island in Chad’s Lake region and announced the start of a military operation to pursue the assailants, as stated by the presidency.

Chad has been contending with an insurgency in its western region, near the Nigerian border, for a long time.

The identity of those responsible for the latest attack remains unknown, although the government has attributed previous attacks in the region to the Boko Haram militant group.

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In March, an attack attributed by the government to Boko Haram resulted in the deaths of seven soldiers, reigniting concerns about violence in the Lake Chad region. This incident disrupted a period of peace that followed a successful operation initiated by the Chadian army in 2020 aimed at dismantling extremist group bases there. During this time of calm, schools, mosques, and churches reopened and humanitarian organizations resumed their activities.

Boko Haram, which began its insurgency over a decade ago in opposition to Western education, aims to implement Islamic law in northeastern Nigeria. This conflict has extended into neighboring West African countries such as Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.

Chad, a nation with almost 18 million residents, has been grappling with political instability surrounding a contentious presidential election that led to Deby Itno’s victory. He had served as interim president during the military rule period following his father’s death in 2021.