Approximately 40 soldiers lost their lives in an attack on a military base in Chad’s Lake region on Sunday, according to a statement from the presidency released on Monday.
In response to the assault, President Mahamat Idriss Deby has initiated an operation to locate the perpetrators. The statement did not specify which group was responsible for the attack.
The Lake Chad region has faced numerous assaults from insurgent groups, including the Islamic State in West Africa and Boko Haram, which originated in northeast Nigeria in 2009 and later spread into western Chad.
Chad plays a crucial role as an ally to French and U.S. forces in their efforts to combat jihadist threats in the Sahel, an area increasingly dominated by factions aligned with al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
In recent years, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have ceased military operations with the U.S. and France, opting instead for support from Russia.