Chad issued a warning to its long-time adversary Sudan on Monday, saying it “reserves the legitimate right to respond” if attacked, in response to threats from a top Khartoum military officer.
The deputy commander of the Sudanese military, Yasser Al-Atta, issued a warning in a video broadcast on Sunday on Al Jazeera that the airports in Amdjarras in northern Chad and N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, “are legitimate targets for the Sudanese armed forces.”
Ibrahim Adam Mahamat, spokesman for the Chadian foreign ministry, stated that the comments “could be interpreted as a declaration of war if followed through.”
“Such rhetoric could lead to a dangerous escalation for the entire sub-region,” along with “Chad reserves the legitimate right to respond vigorously to any attempted aggression,” he stated.
“Sudan has just declared war on Chad,” said Saleh Kebzabo, the former prime minister of Chad, on his official Facebook page.
“We must take this very seriously, prepare for it militarily, and mobilise,” he said.
The Sudanese government has been accused by Chad for more than 60 years of doing all in its power to undermine its neighbour, particularly by “orchestrating rebellions” and aiding the terrorist group Boko Haram.
Beginning in April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a battle between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army’s commander and the country’s de facto ruler since a coup in 2021, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, who is in charge of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Although Khartoum’s de facto rulers accused N’Djamena of actively participating in arms transfers from the United Arab Emirates to the RSF, the country denied any involvement in the Sudanese conflict at the end of October 2024.
Several reports, including one from the United Nations in January 2024, have drawn attention to the purported backing for the RSF; however, Chad and the United Arab Emirates have continuously denied any involvement.
N’Djamena’s primary concern is the existence of a Zaghawa uprising in El Fasher, in Sudan’s continuously unstable Darfur region. This ethnic minority is also present in Chad.
It is headed by Ousman Dillo, the younger brother of Yaya Dillo Djerou, the opposition leader of Chad who was assassinated by the Chadian army.
Former president Idriss Deby Itno was forced to seek refuge in his presidential palace in February 2008 after a Zaghawa uprising from Sudan launched a fast onslaught in Chad with other factions. The rebels were ultimately driven out with significant assistance from former ruler France.
The UN views the war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, as the biggest humanitarian crisis in recent memory, with tens of thousands of people killed, over 11 million displaced, and at risk of widespread famine.
Additionally, 1.5 million people have fled to Chad, and two million have fled to surrounding nations.
