Chad mourns 23 soldiers killed in Boko Haram raid

At least 23 soldiers of the Chadian Armed Forces have been killed and 26 others wounded after suspected Boko Haram fighters launched a nighttime assault on a military base in the Lake Chad region.

The attack, which occurred late Monday, targeted a military position on the island of Barka Tolorom within Lake Chad.

The army said troops engaged the insurgents in intense fighting and eventually repelled the assault, inflicting significant casualties on the attackers, though the exact number of insurgents killed was not disclosed.

President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno condemned the attack as a cowardly act against the country’s armed forces, extended condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers, and vowed that Chad would continue its fight against terrorist groups operating in the Lake Chad basin with renewed determination until the insurgent threat is fully neutralised.

The Lake Chad region, which borders Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, has remained one of West and Central Africa’s most volatile security flashpoints, with Boko Haram and its splinter factions regularly targeting both military formations and civilian communities across national boundaries.

The latest attack recalls a similar assault in October 2024 in which approximately 40 Chadian soldiers were killed in the same region.

Military authorities said operations are ongoing to secure the affected area and prevent further incursions.