Chad warned it will not tolerate further violations of its territory after government officials said armed fighters from Sudan crossed the border on Thursday, triggering a clash with Chadian troops near Tine, a frontier town in the country’s northeast.
Government spokesman Gassim Cherif told a news conference that Chadian forces confronted the fighters after ordering them to leave Chadian territory, describing the incident as an “incursion.” A Chadian government official, speaking to AFP, said the fighters were “RSF elements,” a reference to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has been at war with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023.
“We call on all parties in the conflict to stop all violations of Chadian territory,” Cherif said, adding: “This is our final warning… We cannot have our defence and security forces dragged into the conflict… or Chadians dying.”
The border confrontation comes amid mounting concern that Sudan’s conflict is spilling into neighbouring states. On December 26, two Chadian soldiers were killed in a drone attack at the border that Chadian authorities attributed to the RSF, according to AFP reporting.
The United Arab Emirates, which has been accused in international reporting of backing the RSF, condemned the latest attack on Chadian forces but did not attribute responsibility to the paramilitary group in its public statement.
Chad is also bearing a major humanitarian burden from Sudan’s war. UNHCR says more than 900,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in eastern Chad since April 2023, with new arrivals continuing as violence persists. Other UN-linked and humanitarian reporting puts displacement from the Sudan conflict at around 12 million or more, with millions fleeing across borders.
Security analysts link the heightened cross-border risks to intensifying fighting in Darfur. AFP reporting cited by regional outlets says the RSF has staged multiple attacks near the Chadian border since October, following an RSF advance associated with major battlefield shifts around El Fasher, the last significant army-held position in Darfur. Human rights bodies have warned of widespread abuses in the area, including reports of mass atrocities and systematic sexual violence attributed to RSF forces and aligned fighters.
Chad’s government has repeatedly sought to prevent direct entanglement in Sudan’s war, but Thursday’s clash underscores how quickly the conflict’s front lines and armed groups can destabilise the borderlands.
