Chad’s government announced on Monday that it is closing its border with Sudan until further notice, following a series of clashes between Chadian troops and armed factions involved in the ongoing civil war across the frontier.
“This decision follows repeated incursions and violations committed by the forces involved in the conflict in Sudan on Chadian territory,” Communications Minister Mahamat Gassim Cherif said in a statement, adding that the move was intended to prevent “any risk of the conflict spreading” into Chad.
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been battling government troops for nearly three years in a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced around 11 million people, creating what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The paramilitary group has carried out multiple operations near the Chadian border, and at least nine Chadian soldiers have been killed in separate incidents since December.
In Monday’s statement, the government said Chad “reserves the right to retaliate against any aggression or violation of the inviolability of its territory and its borders”.
It added that cross-border movement of goods and people has been suspended, although “exceptional exemptions” may be granted for humanitarian purposes.