Chad closes Sudan border after RSF attacks

Chad has closed its border with Sudan after repeated attacks by the Rapid Support Forces near its territory killed 15 Chadian soldiers and eight civilians since December.

Communications Minister Gassim Cherif Mahamat said the closure, which took effect on February 23, was aimed at preventing the conflict from spreading into Chadian territory. He warned that Chad reserved the right to retaliate against any violation of its borders.

The move came two days after the RSF claimed to have captured the border town of Al Tina, adjacent to its Chadian twin Al Tine.

Chad has officially maintained neutrality in the three-year war between the RSF and the Sudanese army, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the United Nations. Nearly one million of those displaced are sheltering in Chad.

A Chadian diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the border closure allows the government to reassert its neutral stance amid shifting dynamics in the conflict.

While trade and movement across the border have been halted, the government said exemptions will be made to allow Sudanese civilians to continue seeking refuge in Chad. The 1,400-kilometre desert frontier remains difficult to control.

Darfur, the vast western Sudanese region bordering Chad, has been almost entirely under RSF control since the city of Al Fasher fell in October. The UN rights office last month accused the RSF of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the capture of Al Fasher, saying some 6,000 people were killed in three days.

SOURCE: AFP