Clashes tied to Sudan’s long-running civil war have moved to Chad’s border, raising fears that the violence could spill over. Over the weekend Sudanese army forces and allied groups fought the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) directly along the frontier. Reports say several Chadian soldiers and civilians were killed near the border town of Tine, and on Monday Chad shut its entire 1,300-kilometre border with Sudan. Communications Minister Gassim Cherif said the closure — prompted by repeated violations of the frontier — was meant to prevent ‘any risk of the conflict spreading’ into Chad.
Incidents on Chadian soil have occurred repeatedly since December. In mid-January RSF fighters chased rival militias across the border and attacked a Chadian army post, killing seven soldiers. Aid worker Roger Alladoum, based in the border town of Adre, welcomed the closure, saying the area has been dangerous since December and that armed men from Sudan have attacked and killed people there frequently, endangering humanitarian staff and civilians alike.
The Sudanese conflict, which pitted the regular army against the RSF from April 2023, has been intensified by outside patrons. Observers often point to Saudi Arabia as backing the Sudanese army and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as supporting the RSF. Chad is already hosting more than a million refugees who fled the fighting.
Experts warn that colonial-era borders slice through ethnic communities, so many people on both sides of the Chad–Sudan frontier belong to the same groups. Andrea Behrends of the University of Leipzig cites the Zaghawa as an example: politically influential in Chad, while elements in Sudan have allied with the Sudanese army against the RSF. She warns that clashes among different Zaghawa factions near Tine could widen the conflict.
Accusations have emerged that Chad facilitated arms transfers from the UAE to the RSF. The Chadian government denies supplying weapons, but Charles Bouessel of the International Crisis Group notes Chad signed several cooperation deals with the UAE in 2023 and made its territory available for shipments — ‘namely arms,’ he says. Reuters has reported dozens of cargo flights from the UAE to Amdjarass, a Chadian city close to the Sudanese border, since the war began. Bouessel adds that direct deliveries from Chad to the RSF have fallen this year, however.
Analysts also suggest internal pressures could be at play. Repeated RSF incursions and attacks on Chadian soldiers may reflect influence from powerful Zaghawa military figures who back their kin in Darfur; President Mahamat Déby might be allowing some freedom of action to those generals. International ties matter too: Chad agreed loans totalling US$1.5 billion with the UAE in 2023. A rupture with Abu Dhabi would leave Déby seeking new patrons; Saudi Arabia has been increasing its involvement in the Horn of Africa, and Chad’s High Council of Islamic Affairs signed an agreement with Riyadh in January. Observers say it is still too early to declare a decisive shift in external backers.
Humanitarian organisations say the border shutdown will worsen an already dire situation. The International Rescue Committee called cutting access to Chad ‘extremely concerning’ for Sudanese families who have relied on crossing the border to escape fighting. Zeleke Bacha, IRC’s Sudan West director, warned many people who used Chad as a lifeline now risk being trapped in dangerous zones with limited food, water and medical care.
Blaise Dariustone in N’Djamena contributed reporting. This article was first published in German.