An overnight assault by suspected Boko Haram militants on a military base in Chad has resulted in the deaths of at least 24 people, according to a military official and a regional administrator.
The Barka Tolorom base, located along the shores of Lake Chad, sits in a region shared by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, where islands often serve as hideouts for Boko Haram and other militant groups.
The attack, which occurred late on Monday, “left 25 dead and 46 wounded on the Chadian army side”, a security source told AFP.
Another administrative official reported “24 dead and several wounded”.
Both sources blamed Boko Haram for the incident, while the administrator stated that “the situation is under control”.
“Once again, the nebulous Boko Haram terrorist group carried out a cowardly attack last night on our military base at Barka Tolorom,” Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said on Tuesday in a Facebook post.
“We will continue the fight with renewed determination until this threat is completely eradicated,” he added, expressing condolences to the families of the victims.
The Lake Chad region has witnessed a rise in attacks targeting soldiers, including an ambush in October 2024 that reportedly killed about 40 Chadian troops.
Recent months have also seen increased activities by Boko Haram’s JAS faction, involving kidnappings and assaults on military positions, particularly around the lake’s islands and areas bordering Niger.
Following the 2024 attack, Deby launched a counter-offensive, pledging to “personally” lead operations for two weeks.
After the operation concluded in February 2025, the military maintained that Boko Haram had “no more sanctuary on Chadian territory”.
However, the marshy terrain and islands of Lake Chad continue to provide shelter for both Boko Haram and its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).