Sudan Attacks Chad With Drone, Kills 17 at Funeral, Chad Vows Retaliation

A drone attack launched from Sudan killed 17 people in Chad's eastern border town of Tine during a funeral ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.

“The attacks killed 478 people”

Al Jazeera

The attack struck mourners and children playing nearby, causing civilian casualties.

Al Jazeera

The incident occurred despite Chad's firm warnings to the different belligerents in the Sudan conflict and the closure of the border.

Local eyewitnesses reported two explosions that hit a house where mourners had gathered for a Koran reading ceremony.

The Chadian government confirmed the death toll and described the incident as an 'extreme gravity' assault.

All victims were civilians according to military officials.

Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby responded swiftly to the attack, convening an emergency defense and security council meeting.

He ordered immediate military retaliation against any future aggression from Sudanese territory.

BBC

The president issued a 'total closure' of Chad's eastern border with Sudan.

He directed the National Army to strengthen security presence along the porous border.

Forces were prepared to carry out operations on Sudanese soil if necessary.

The government condemned the attack as 'outrageous and a blatant aggression' against Chad's territorial integrity.

The president vowed that 'Chad's citizens and territory will be defended at all costs'.

The drone attack represents a dangerous escalation of cross-border tensions from Sudan's civil war.

“Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby has ordered the immediate closure of Chad’s 1,300-kilometre border with Sudan and placed the military on maximum alert following a deadly drone strike on a border town, yesterday”

Dabanga Radio TV Online

The war began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 12 million people.

Nearly one million refugees have fled to Chad from the violence.

The RSF denied involvement, blaming the Sudanese army instead.

Previous cross-border violence includes a January attack killing seven Chadian soldiers.

The porous 1,400-kilometer border makes eastern Chad communities vulnerable to spillover.

The attack has created a severe humanitarian crisis in the affected border region.

Local communities were already strained by months of conflict spillover.

Daily Post Nigeria

MSF reported 123 wounded people arrived at a hospital in Chadian El Tina.

Seventeen people later died from their injuries, with 66 remaining in serious condition.

The hospital lacks running water and electricity, with medical supplies rapidly depleting.

Fresh waves of displacement occurred, with families losing contact with relatives.

Access to food and basic necessities remains critically limited.

UN agencies condemned the situation, warning Chad should not become an extension of the conflict.

The attack threatens to further destabilize the already volatile Sahel region.