The government of Chad has announced the immediate closure of its border with Sudan following renewed clashes between Chadian troops and armed groups linked to Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
Gatekeepers News reports that Communications Minister Mahamat Gassim Cherif said in a statement on Monday that the measure was taken in response to repeated violations of Chadian territory.
“This decision follows repeated incursions and violations committed by the forces involved in the conflict in Sudan on Chadian territory,” Cherif stated, adding that the government aimed to halt “any risk of the conflict spreading” into Chad.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict for nearly three years, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces battling government troops. The war has reportedly killed tens of thousands of people and forced about 11 million others from their homes, creating what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The RSF has carried out several operations near the Chad border, and since December, at least nine Chadian soldiers have been killed in separate cross-border incidents.
In its statement, the Chadian government warned that it “reserves the right to retaliate against any aggression or violation of the inviolability of its territory and its borders.”
It also announced that “cross-border movements of goods and people are suspended,” though it noted that “exceptional exemptions” would be granted for humanitarian purposes.
