Chad tightens Sudan border after cross-border drone strikes
August 31, 2026 (TINA) – Chad’s military has stepped up deployments along the border with Sudan and blocked desert routes used to funnel weapons and fighters to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The move follows the interception and seizure of military vehicles belonging to the Sudanese Joint Force after crossing the frontier.
Tensions have escalated along the border after the Chadian military general staff reported on August 23 that suspected Sudanese military or allied drones struck a vehicle convoy inside Chad’s eastern Ennedi-Est region, more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the frontier.
Chadian army units reached the site of the air strikes on Monday, sources told Sudan Tribune.
Chadian troops carried out security sweeps across the desert before setting up temporary outposts near the border to block infiltrations and prevent Chadian territory from being used as a staging ground or supply conduit.
Chadian forces also impounded several armed vehicles and seized weapons from Sudanese fighters who had crossed into Chad, the sources said.
Western media reports have previously indicated that N’Djamena deployed around 100 military vehicles toward the frontier along with air defence systems to guard against cross-border drone incursions.
In eastern Chad, authorities also conducted cordon-and-search operations across several Sudanese refugee camps following allegations that some individuals had taken part in combat inside Sudan before returning across the border.
Security forces detained several young men during the sweeps on suspicion of involvement in the fighting. They were later released after signing written undertakings not to engage in activities that could destabilise the border area.
The heightened security measures have raised concerns among aid agencies over the humanitarian impact on Sudanese refugees concentrated in border settlements.
Chad hosts more than two million Sudanese refugees across 13 camps and reception centres in the east. Many arrived during earlier conflicts under ousted President Omar al-Bashir, but numbers surged after war erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF in April 2023.
Widespread violence and ethnically targeted attacks across Darfur, particularly in West Darfur state, have driven hundreds of thousands of civilians to seek refuge across the Chadian border.
The army-aligned government in Khartoum has repeatedly accused external actors of using Chadian territory and airfields to resupply the RSF, allegations that N’Djamena has denied.
The recent strikes inside Chadian territory have reinforced international concerns that Sudan’s internal war risks spilling over into a wider regional conflict.