A drone attack launched from Sudan has killed 17 people in Chad, according to the Chadian government, which has pledged to retaliate against any further strikes as the civil war in the neighboring nation continues. A government spokesman announced the death toll on Thursday from the attack on the border town of Tine, stating it occurred despite “various firm warnings addressed to the different belligerents in the Sudan conflict and the closure of the border.”
The attack took place on Wednesday as mourners gathered at a house for a funeral in Tine, according to a local resident quoted by Reuters, who reported two explosions with casualties including mourners and children playing nearby. Local government sources said it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby called a meeting of the defence and security council on Wednesday night, ordering the army to “retaliate starting from tonight to any attack coming from Sudan,” per a presidency statement. Early on Thursday, the government said Chad had strengthened its security presence at the border and could potentially carry out operations on Sudanese territory. Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denied involvement in a Telegram post, blaming the Sudanese army.
The conflict in Sudan between its military and the RSF began in April 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 12 million people – nearly one million fleeing under fire to Chad, according to the United Nations. The border between Chad and Sudan, nearly 1,400 km long in a desert region, is porous and difficult to control.
Almost all of Darfur, a vast region in western Sudan bordering Chad, has been captured by the RSF. The last major city under military control, el-Fasher, was seized by the RSF in October. The UN has accused the paramilitary group of carrying out massacres with “hallmarks of genocide.” On February 21, the RSF claimed control of the border town of Tina, separated from Tine in Chad only by a narrow, usually dry stream bed.
Chad closed its eastern border with Sudan last month after clashes linked to the war killed five Chadian soldiers. Its government said the move aimed to prevent “any risk of the conflict spreading.” Drones have become a key weapon used by both Sudan’s military and the RSF. The Sudanese army has received Iranian-made drones and Turkish and Russian military support.
The RSF, with no air force of its own, has been equipped through supply routes reportedly running through Chad and other transit states, with reports pointing to the United Arab Emirates as a key supporter, an allegation Abu Dhabi denies. In the first two months of 2026, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project recorded 198 strikes by both sides, at least 52 causing civilian casualties, killing 478 people.
Source: www.aljazeera.com