Chad's Ministry of Information announced on Monday, February 23, 2026, the immediate and indefinite closure of the country's border with Sudan, citing repeated violations of its territorial integrity by warring factions in Sudan's ongoing civil conflict. The decision suspends all regular trade, travel, and cross-border movement, with limited exceptions only for humanitarian operations subject to prior government authorization.
In an official statement posted on Facebook, the ministry explained that the measure aims to prevent the Sudanese war from spilling over into Chadian territory, protect Chadian citizens and the large refugee population hosted in eastern Chad, and preserve national stability and sovereignty. "Chad reserves the right under international law to respond to any aggression or violation of its territorial integrity and borders," the statement warned, signaling readiness to take defensive action if provocations continue.
The closure follows a series of cross-border incidents, most notably clashes over the weekend in the border town of El Tina in Sudan's North Darfur state. Reports indicate that Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries launched an assault on positions held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), drawing Chadian troops into the fighting and resulting in casualties among Chadian soldiers. Chadian authorities have accused Sudanese belligerents of repeatedly breaching the frontier during operations, endangering civilians and security personnel on the Chadian side.
Eastern Chad, particularly the provinces of Ouaddaï, Sila, and Wadi Fira, hosts hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees who have fled the war since it erupted in April 2023. The region already faces severe strain from limited resources, food insecurity, and the risk of inter-communal tensions exacerbated by the influx. The border shutdown is intended to reduce these pressures while halting any further infiltration of combatants or arms that could destabilize the fragile local environment.
Accusations have circulated in regional media and diplomatic circles that Chad has served as a transit corridor for supplies—including weapons, ammunition, and drones—reaching RSF fighters in Darfur. The Chadian government has categorically denied these claims, insisting it maintains strict neutrality and has not favored either side in the Sudanese conflict. N'Djamena has repeatedly called for a cessation of hostilities in Sudan and supported regional mediation efforts led by the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and neighboring states.
Sudan's civil war pits the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ("Hemedti"). The conflict, which began as a power struggle within the transitional government following the 2021 military coup, has evolved into a brutal nationwide war marked by urban battles, ethnic massacres, sexual violence, and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Of Sudan's 18 states, the RSF maintains firm control over the five Darfur states in the far west (North, South, West, Central, and East Darfur), with the exception of pockets in North Darfur that remain contested or under SAF influence. The Sudanese military dominates most of the remaining territory, including the capital Khartoum, the Nile River states, and much of the east and north. Front lines have remained relatively static in recent months, but fighting has intensified in border-adjacent areas such as North Darfur, where control of key towns like El Fasher and El Tina carries strategic importance.
The United Nations estimates that the war has killed tens of thousands—potentially far more when indirect deaths from disease, starvation, and lack of medical care are included—and displaced approximately 13 million people, including more than 8 million internally displaced and nearly 2 million who have fled as refugees to neighboring countries. Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic have absorbed the largest numbers of Sudanese refugees. The UN has declared famine conditions in parts of North Darfur and warned that millions more face catastrophic hunger levels due to blocked humanitarian access, destroyed agriculture, and collapsed markets.
Humanitarian organizations have expressed concern that Chad's border closure, while understandable from a security standpoint, could further complicate aid deliveries to Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad and to civilians trapped inside Darfur. The World Food Programme, UNHCR, and other agencies rely on cross-border corridors for emergency supplies, though alternative routes through South Sudan and Ethiopia remain available in limited capacity.
The African Union, which has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and inclusive political dialogue in Sudan, has not yet issued a formal response to Chad's announcement. Regional observers note that the border closure aligns with Chad's long-standing policy of safeguarding its sovereignty amid spillover risks from Sudan's instability, a pattern seen during previous Darfur crises in the 2000s.
As clashes persist along the shared frontier, the indefinite closure underscores the deepening entanglement of Sudan's war with its neighbors. For Chad, the priority remains preventing the importation of violence, protecting vulnerable refugee populations, and maintaining internal cohesion in a country already grappling with its own economic and security challenges. The situation will likely remain tense until a credible de-escalation pathway emerges in Sudan—a prospect that appears distant amid mutual accusations, entrenched positions, and faltering mediation efforts.
