Boko Haram militants attacked a military post on Barka Tolorom island in the Lake Chad region on Monday night, killing 23 soldiers and injuring 26 others. Chad’s armed forces stated that they repelled the attack and neutralized a significant number of sect members, with operations to clear the area currently underway.
President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno condemned the attack, describing it as cowardly. In a statement, the president vowed to eradicate the Nigeria-based militant group.
The Lake Chad region is contested by various armed groups that fund their operations by imposing taxes on local communities. Since 2009, Boko Haram has expanded its reach from northeast Nigeria to western Chad, where attacks on military installations have become frequent. According to the United Nations, the group has killed several thousand people and displaced millions across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger over the last decade and a half.