An attack by unidentified assailants on a military base in Chad’s western Lake region has left at least 40 soldiers dead, the country’s presidency announced on Monday. The overnight assault took place on the base in Barkaram, an island in the Lake Chad area.
In response to the attack, President Mahamat Deby Itno visited the base early Monday morning and declared the launch of a military operation to pursue the attackers. The presidency released a statement detailing the president’s visit and the government’s plan to take action against those responsible for the deadly incident.
Chad has long been grappling with an insurgency in its western region, particularly near the border with Nigeria. While the identity of the assailants behind the latest attack remains unknown, previous incidents in the area have been attributed by the government to the Boko Haram militant group.
The region had experienced a period of relative peace following a successful military operation launched by the Chadian army in 2020 to destroy Boko Haram’s bases in the Lake Chad area. This had allowed for the reopening of schools, mosques, and churches, as well as the return of humanitarian organizations. However, the recent attack has revived fears of violence in the region.
In March, an attack that the government blamed on Boko Haram claimed the lives of seven soldiers, serving as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by the extremist group. Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency more than a decade ago against Western education, seeks to establish Islamic law in Nigeria’s northeast and has since spread its influence to neighboring West African countries, including Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.
The latest attack comes as Chad continues to grapple with political turmoil in the wake of a controversial presidential election that saw Deby Itno, who had been serving as interim president during a period of military rule following the death of his father in 2021, emerge victorious.
The attack on the military base in Barkaram serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing security challenges faced by Chad and the wider West African region, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.
