Chad accuses Sudan of deadly air strike near shared border
Chad has accused the Sudanese army of carrying out an air strike near the shared border that killed 12 people and wounded seven, in a fresh escalation linked to Sudan's war. Officials in Chad said the strike hit a fuel market used by the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, in the border area. Sudan has rejected the allegation and called for an independent investigation.
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A Chadian security source said the attack took place on Thursday and targeted a market where RSF fighters refuel. Chad's army said the strikes happened more than 100 km inside its territory in the eastern Ennedi region, and that there were no Chadian casualties. In response to drone threats, Chad raised its alert level in the area to its highest point, according to a security source.
The reported strike has added to already strained relations between the two neighbours, which have repeatedly traded accusations since Sudan's war began. Chad previously said Sudan was responsible for an air strike on a military convoy in its territory last week. A local source said Chad has also deployed about 100 armoured vehicles and signal-jamming trucks near eastern Tine, close to the Sudanese border.
The incident matters because it comes against the backdrop of Sudan's prolonged conflict between the army and the RSF, a war that has lasted more than three years and displaced millions of people. Chad has become one of the main destinations for people fleeing the fighting, with nearly one million displaced Sudanese now in the country. That influx has added pressure to Chad's resources, including an ongoing water crisis, while also increasing the security sensitivity along the frontier.
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Sudan's Foreign Ministry said its forces were carrying out their duty to protect the country's sovereignty and were not targeting neighbouring territory. The Sudanese army has also previously accused Chad of aligning with the RSF, underlining the political mistrust surrounding the border. The US embassy in Khartoum also accused the Sudanese army of launching the recent strikes on Chad and condemned them on Thursday.
What remains unclear is who carried out the strike and whether the incident took place exactly where Chad says it did. The call for an independent investigation suggests the two sides remain far apart on the facts. For now, the main questions are whether the border deployment will be expanded and whether the latest accusations will deepen the risk of direct spillover from Sudan's war into Chad.
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