Chad Seals Sudan Border and Raises Military Readiness Over Reported Drone Attack

Chad has shut its entire 1,300-kilometre border with Sudan and placed the military on maximum alert following a reported drone incursion into Chadian territory, sharply increasing cross-border tensions as Sudan’s civil war escalates.

The decision was announced after an emergency defence and security council meeting convened last night at the presidential palace in Ndjamena, chaired by Transitional President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno. Sources familiar with the meeting said the order came in response to what Chadian authorities described as a fresh violation involving Sudanese drones entering Chadian airspace and striking areas near the border.

The meeting brought together Prime Minister Allamaye Halina, senior government officials, top military commanders, and heads of security agencies. During the session, President Déby reviewed Chad’s diplomatic efforts to help end the conflict in Sudan, noting that repeated mediation attempts had failed to bring peace between the warring factions – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

Déby expressed deep concern over the heavy humanitarian toll the war has inflicted on Chad, including the influx of refugees and the spillover of intercommunal violence linked to shared ethnic and social ties along the border. He directed the immediate and complete closure of the frontier and ordered the deployment of a government delegation to the affected areas to assess human and material losses from the drone attack.

The president further instructed the armed forces to maintain the highest level of operational readiness and to respond decisively to any further aggression from either side in Sudan. The directive applies to any hostile actions, whether by forces loyal to al-Burhan or the RSF.

Officials said the council meeting concluded with immediate instructions to military commanders to carry out the president’s orders without delay. The border closure and alert status are expected to remain in effect until the threat is neutralised and stability returns along the frontier.

Chad’s decision marks a significant escalation in regional tensions. The conflict in Sudan, now in its third year, has repeatedly spilled over into neighbouring countries, including Chad, with cross-border raids, arms flows, and refugee movements straining security and humanitarian resources. The reported drone attack – the first publicly acknowledged such incursion in recent months – has raised fears of a wider regionalisation of the war.

The closure of the border will likely disrupt trade, movement of goods, and informal cross-border exchanges that many communities rely on. It also complicates humanitarian access for aid organisations working with Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad.

No immediate casualties were reported from the drone incident in initial statements, but Chadian authorities have not released full details of the attack’s location or impact and the presidency has not yet commented publicly beyond the council’s decisions.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese conflict continues to generate spillover effects across the Sahel and Horn of Africa, with neighbouring countries increasingly forced to strengthen border defences and reassess their security postures.