Ndjamena – Chad declared a 20-day state of emergency in the jihadist-plagued Lake Chad region late on Thursday, days after attacks by Boko Haram killed at least 26 army personnel.
It comes at a time when the central African country’s government has declared national mourning after two generals patrolling the vast border lake’s islands were killed in an ambush by the jihadist group on Wednesday.
That assault came hot on the heels of an attack on the Barka Tolorom military base on the lake’s Chadian shore, which left at least 24 soldiers dead and several wounded, according to a military source.
Thursday’s government decree ruled that the state of emergency would be in place “from May 7, 2026 at midnight until May 27, 2026 at midnight”, adding that the border would be closed and a curfew imposed.
In an address broadcast on Chadian national television on Thursday evening, government spokesman Gassim Cherif specified that this measure makes it possible “to carry out the arrest of suspects and their provisional detention, and to ban the movement of people, vehicles, motorcycles and motorboats”.
Straddling the borders between Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, Lake Chad’s many islands have long provided refuge for fighters from both Boko Haram and its rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Soldiers have come under increasing fire from Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin, with an October 2024 attack leaving some 40 dead in the Chadian army’s ranks.
Recent months have also seen a surge in attacks by the group’s JAS faction, including kidnappings and attacks on advanced army positions, especially on the islands and along Niger’s portion of the lake’s shores.
In response to the October 2024 attack, Deby launched a counter-offensive which he vowed to “personally” lead on the ground for two weeks.
After that offensive ended in February 2025, the army insisted that Boko Haram had “no more sanctuary on Chadian territory”.
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Source: AFP
