Chad has condemned air strikes on its eastern Ennedi region that it said were linked to the war in neighbouring Sudan, warning it would take “all necessary measures” under international law if the attacks recur.
Public Health and Prevention Minister Abdelmadjid Abderahim Mohamed delivered the warning in an address to the United Nations on behalf of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.
N’Djamena described the strikes, which it said occurred in recent days, as an unacceptable violation of its territorial integrity. It did not identify who carried them out in the remarks reported by Sudanese media.
Chad had previously accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of carrying out air and drone strikes against a convoy in eastern Ennedi on August 20, more than 100 kilometres inside its territory. Sudan disputed the accusation, saying responsibility had been assigned without an independent investigation.
The government said it would act to protect its population and sovereignty against further attacks.
Chad also reaffirmed what it described as its strict and absolute neutrality in Sudan’s conflict, saying it had supported neither side since fighting erupted in April 2023.
It said it did not allow either warring party to use Chadian territory or infrastructure.
The warning highlighted the widening regional consequences of Sudan’s war, which has driven large numbers of people across the border into Chad.
According to the figures presented in the address, more than one million Sudanese refugees have entered Chad through its eastern border since the conflict began.
Chad said it now hosts more than two million forcibly displaced people as a result of crises across the region, with refugees accounting for one in every 17 people living in the country.
N’Djamena renewed its support for efforts to secure a ceasefire and bring Sudan’s warring parties into dialogue, citing the QUAD and QUINTET diplomatic initiatives among the efforts it backs.
