Tuesday, February 24 2026 - Chad has announced the immediate closure of its border with Sudan following a series of deadly clashes between Chadian soldiers and armed groups linked to Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
In a statement issued on Monday, February 23, Communications
Minister Mahamat Gassim Cherif said the decision was prompted by repeated
cross-border incidents. “This decision follows repeated incursions and
violations committed by the forces involved in the conflict in Sudan on Chadian
territory,” he said, adding that the move was aimed at halting “any risk of the
conflict spreading” into Chad.
Sudan has been gripped by a brutal conflict for nearly three
years, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces battling Sudanese government
troops. The fighting has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced
around 11 million people, creating what the United Nations has described as one
of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Chadian authorities say violence near the frontier has
increasingly spilled over into their territory. At least nine Chadian soldiers
have reportedly been killed in separate incidents since December, as Sudanese
paramilitary fighters carried out operations close to the shared border.
Reaffirming Chad’s stance, the statement warned that the
country “reserves the right to retaliate against any aggression or violation of
the inviolability of its territory and its borders.”
The government also confirmed that “cross-border movements
of goods and people are suspended” until further notice, although it noted that
“exceptional exemptions” may be granted for humanitarian purposes.
The closure marks a significant escalation in tensions along
the Chad-Sudan frontier, as regional governments grapple with the spillover
effects of Sudan’s prolonged and destabilising war.
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