Chad has accused Sudan’s army and allied forces of carrying out air and drone strikes against a vehicle convoy more than 100 kilometres inside Chadian territory, marking a potentially serious escalation of the spillover from Sudan’s war.
The Chadian military said aircraft and drones believed to belong to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) or forces supporting it pursued and bombed the convoy on August 20 in the eastern province of Ennedi Est.
According to the Chadian General Staff, the strike took place in the Mourdi department after the aircraft followed the convoy from Sudan across the border and deep into Chad.
Chadian military spokesperson General Chanane Issakha Acheikh said subsequent aerial and ground checks confirmed that the bombardment had extended more than 100 kilometres into Chadian territory.
No Chadian casualties were recorded, according to the military.
The army said security forces had been placed on the highest level of alert following what N’Djamena described as a new violation of the country’s territorial integrity.
Chad warned all parties to Sudan’s conflict against extending military operations across the border and said its armed forces remained prepared to respond to any threat to national security.
The incident follows reports of a series of strikes on August 20 and 21 targeting military reinforcements linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) near the Sudan-Chad frontier.
Some Sudanese reports claimed the targeted convoy was carrying RSF vehicles and equipment from Chad into Sudan. The precise number of vehicles destroyed and the circumstances surrounding the convoy have not been independently verified.
Sudan’s SAF-aligned authorities have repeatedly accused Chad of facilitating weapons and logistical supplies to the RSF, including alleged shipments originating from the United Arab Emirates through Chadian territory.
Chad and the UAE have rejected accusations that they are supplying the RSF.
The sprawling Sudan-Chad border has nevertheless become increasingly important to the conflict, particularly as the RSF relies on routes linking Darfur with neighbouring states in the Sahel.
The latest incident raises the prospect of a sharper confrontation between N’Djamena and Sudan’s military authorities if SAF aircraft are confirmed to have conducted strikes this deep inside Chad.
Tensions have already risen along the frontier during Sudan’s more than three-year war, with cross-border movements by armed groups, weapons trafficking and repeated security incidents adding to pressure on a region that is also hosting hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees.
