Chad shuts Sudan border, orders military on high alert after drone incident

Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has ordered the immediate closure of Chad’s border with Sudan and placed the country’s military on maximum alert following a reported drone attack on its territory.

The directive was issued after an emergency meeting of the defence and security council held late on March 18 at the presidential palace in N’Djamena.

According to sources, the decision came after what authorities described as a fresh cross-border incursion involving Sudanese drones, further escalating tensions along the two երկրների shared frontier.

The high-level meeting was attended by Prime Minister Allamaye Halina, senior government officials, top military commanders, and heads of security agencies.

During the session, President Deby Itno reviewed Chad’s diplomatic efforts to help resolve the ongoing conflict in Sudan, noting that repeated mediation attempts have failed to produce a lasting peace.

He also raised concerns over the growing humanitarian strain on Chad, as well as the spillover of intercommunal tensions driven by ethnic and social ties across the border.

In response to the latest incident, the Chadian leader ordered the closure of the roughly 1,300-kilometre border with Sudan and directed that a government delegation be deployed to affected areas to assess human and material losses.

He further instructed the armed forces to maintain maximum operational readiness and to respond decisively to any further aggression linked to forces loyal to Abdel Fattah al-Burhan or the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Officials said military commanders have been directed to implement the orders immediately.

The move signals a sharp escalation in regional tensions, as Sudan’s ongoing conflict continues to pose cross-border security and humanitarian challenges for neighbouring countries, including Chad.