Chad shuts Sudan border after drone strike kills civilians in El Tina

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby has ordered the immediate closure of Chad’s 1,300-kilometre border with Sudan and placed the military on maximum alert following a deadly drone strike on a border town, yesterday.

The strike hit a gathering of civilians in the town of Mabrouka in the Wadi Fira region during a Ramadan iftar, killing at least 16 people, according to local sources. The drone was reported to have originated from Sudan.

Déby described the attack as an “outrageous and excessive aggression” against Chad’s territorial integrity and ordered the army to retaliate against any further attacks from Sudanese territory. The presidency said the order applies to all Sudanese belligerents, including the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The decision followed an emergency meeting of Chad’s Defence and Security Council in N’Djamena.

Heavy fighting in El Tina

The escalation comes amid intense fighting in El Tina on the Sudan–Chad border in North Darfur, where clashes have intensified in recent days.

An eyewitness told Radio Dabanga that RSF fighters entered the town on Monday, reportedly in the absence of SAF and Joint Force troops, moved into the local market, and opened fire. At least 22 people were killed and 40 others wounded.

Stray munitions struck the Chadian side of the border, reportedly killing more than 20 people and injuring around 72 others.

Local sources said the fighting forms part of a broader battle over the strategic El Tina area, a key humanitarian corridor. Members of local popular resistance groups reportedly crossed from the Chadian side to confront RSF fighters, seizing some equipment, though reports indicated heavy casualties among the volunteers.

The Joint Forces, allied with the SAF, said it had repelled the RSF attack from multiple directions, while both sides have circulated videos and competing claims about control of the area, which could not be independently verified.

Regional tensions rise

The drone strike follows a series of cross-border incidents, including a January attack in which RSF fighters reportedly killed at least seven Chadian soldiers near Jargeira in North Darfur, close to the eastern Chad border.

Chad has accused Sudanese forces of destabilising the country, while Sudanese authorities have in turn accused N’Djamena of allowing RSF operations to be supplied through its territory, an allegation Chad denies.

Déby has dispatched a delegation of senior officials to the affected area to assess the damage and casualties as tensions along the border continue to escalate.

Hospitals overwhelmed

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said 123 wounded people arrived at a newly established hospital in Chadian El Tina on Monday. Seventeen later died, while 66 remained in serious condition.

An MSF staff member warned that the facility is operating without running water or electricity, with medical supplies rapidly running out amid the influx of casualties. The organisation had earlier relocated its main hospital in the area due to insecurity.

The Emergency Room Council in El Tina reported fresh waves of displacement following the violence, with many families fleeing and others losing contact with relatives.

Access to food and basic necessities remains critically limited, the council said.