A drone attack originating from Sudan struck the eastern border town of Tine in Chad late Wednesday, killing 17 people and injuring several more. Chadian government officials confirmed that all those killed were civilians. Local eyewitnesses reported that the explosions targeted mourners at a funeral and children playing nearby, highlighting the attack's impact on non-combatants.
President Mahamat Idriss Deby, after summoning defense and security officials overnight, released a statement on social media announcing that he had ordered Chad's army to "retaliate, starting from tonight, to any attack coming from Sudan." A Chadian government spokesman said on Thursday: "Despite various firm warnings addressed to the different belligerents in the Sudan conflict and the closure of the border, the town of Tine has again been the target of a drone attack. This latest assault of extreme gravity has caused the death of 17 of our compatriots and left several others injured." The government added that it has strengthened security at the border and retains the capability to conduct operations on Sudanese territory if necessary.
The incident is the latest deadly spillover from the devastating civil war raging in neighboring Sudan, where Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries have been battling the Sudanese military since 2023. The RSF has controlled nearly all of Darfur since October, when it seized the city of el-Fasher in an operation that the UN described as bearing the "hallmarks of genocide." Local authorities stated it remains unclear who was behind Wednesday's drone attack, with the RSF denying responsibility in a Telegram statement and blaming the Sudanese army instead.
RSF military operations along the 1,400-kilometer border have caused numerous casualties in Chad in recent months. Prior to Wednesday's attack, Chadian authorities had recorded a death toll of 15 soldiers and eight civilians in Tine since December. On February 21, the RSF claimed control of Tina—Tine's sister city in Darfur—and on February 23, Chad closed its border to prevent "any risk of the conflict spreading," measures that have proven insufficient to halt the violence.
The civil war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of civilians and forced over 12 million people to flee their homes, with the UN reporting that more than one million have sought refuge in Chad. This attack underscores the regional instability fueled by the conflict, raising concerns about further escalation and humanitarian crises in the area.
Source: www.dw.com