Chad has closed its eastern border with Sudan after cross-border clashes linked to Sudan’s civil war killed five Chadian soldiers. The government announced the decision on Monday, 23 February 2026, saying the frontier would remain shut until further notice.
A Chadian official told Reuters that fighting on Saturday in the border town of Tina between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and militia aligned with Sudan’s military-backed government left five soldiers and three civilians dead, with 12 others wounded. A border guard in Tina confirmed the soldiers’ deaths.
In a statement, Chad’s government cited repeated incursions and violations by forces involved in Sudan’s conflict, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. It said the closure was intended to protect civilians and preserve territorial integrity, with humanitarian exceptions possible subject to prior approval.
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Two sources said additional Chadian troops were being deployed to the area. Chad hosts nearly one million Sudanese refugees. Sudan’s war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 11 million, according to the United Nations.
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