Chad Launches Military Operation Against Islamists After Troops Killed
Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Chad recently lost at least 40 troops after being attacked by Boko Haram Islamists in the Lake Chad Basin region.
President Mhamat Idriss Deby immediately condemned the Boko Islamist attack and declared that the armed forces would find the culprits. In recent history, while the armed forces of Nigeria underperform, the armed forces of Chad have overperformed against Islamists.
Conflicts exist in the neighboring nations of the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. Indeed, terrorists utilize northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin – and many border faultlines.
Voice of America reports, “Chad’s President Mahama Idriss Deby has launched a security operation to track and neutralize several hundred Boko Haram fighters who attacked and killed on Sunday more than 40 Chad government troops in the Lake Chad Basin, shared by Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Chad. Deby visited the area on Monday and assisted in the burial of his soldiers.”
Deby announced his views of the bloodshed on regional media and central television outlets.
Deby said, “…security forces are currently in full pursuit of the assailants.”
AP News reports, “Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency more than a decade ago against Western education, seeks to establish Islamic law in Nigeria’s northeast. The insurgency has spread to West African neighbors including Cameroon, Niger and Chad.”
Chad faces internal political discontent. Also, many refugees have fled from Sudan (and other regional nations blighted by terrorism and war) and sought sanctuary in Chad – and internal refugees blight the nation.
The BBC says, “In recent years, there have been several coups in the region, in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. The military in each country cited the inability to deal with the Islamist militant threat as one of the reasons for the ouster of the civilian governments.”
Islamists utilize the Lake Chad Basin region because of the number of islets, swamps, and the vastness of the water.
Newsweek reports, “In March, an attack attributed to Boko Haram killed seven soldiers, reigniting concerns about renewed violence in the Lake Chad region. The incident disrupted a period of relative calm following a 2020 military campaign by the Chadian army that dismantled the group’s local strongholds. In the wake of that operation, schools, mosques and churches had reopened, and humanitarian organizations resumed activities in the area.”
Chad released a statement saying, “The government is calling on the international community to intensify its support and to reinforce assistance in counter-terrorism efforts in particular in the Sahel region and Lake Chad basin.”
Chad requires genuine international support in its fight against Islamist terrorism and other forces that seek a weakened region concerning the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin region.
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