Boko Haram attack kills 40 soldiers in Chad, near Nigerian border

An attack by Boko Haram overnight has claimed the lives of approximately 40 Chadian soldiers near the border with Nigeria, according to reports from the Chadian government and local sources.

The assault occurred late Sunday when the jihadist group targeted a garrison housing over 200 soldiers stationed near Ngouboua in western Chad, AFP reported.

The presidency confirmed the attack in a statement on Monday, calling it a “tragic loss” of around 40 military personnel. Among the casualties was the garrison’s unit commander, according to a senior military official who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity.

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno visited the attack site early Monday and ordering an immediate military operation to pursue the assailants. The operation will “go after the attackers and track them down in their furthest hideouts”, the presidency said in a statement.

The assault unfolded at approximately 10:00 pm local time (2100 GMT), with Boko Haram militants overtaking the garrison, seizing arms, setting vehicles ablaze, and subsequently withdrawing from the site, AFP reported via an unnamed local source.

Lake Chad’s complex network of islands and swamps has long served as a sanctuary for militant groups, including Boko Haram and its faction, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). These groups frequently launch cross-border attacks, targeting both military forces and civilians in Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon.

Since launching its insurgency in Nigeria in 2009, Boko Haram has inflicted devastating violence across the region, resulting in over 40,000 deaths and displacing more than two million people.

Chad itself has suffered severe losses in this ongoing conflict. In March 2020, around 100 Chadian troops were killed in a single attack on the Bohoma peninsula, marking one of the military’s most significant losses.

In response, then-president Idriss Deby Itno, father of the current president, initiated an anti-insurgency campaign.

The conflict has left lasting effects on local populations. In June, the International Office for Migration (IOM) estimated that over 220,000 people in Chad’s Lake Province had been displaced due to attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups, highlighting the humanitarian toll of the long-standing crisis.