At least 23 Chadian soldiers have been killed and 26 others injured following a deadly attack by Boko Haram militants on a military base in western Chad, according to an official statement issued by the country’s General Staff.
The attack took place on the evening of May 4, 2026, at around 10:00 p.m. local time, when armed fighters stormed a position of the Chadian Armed Forces located on Barak Tolorum Island. The army described the assault as a coordinated strike targeting one of its forward operating bases in the Lake Chad Basin area.
In its statement, the military confirmed a preliminary death toll of 23 personnel, with 26 others sustaining injuries of varying severity. It added that the figures remain provisional, as assessments are ongoing and additional updates may follow after full verification of casualties and operational losses.
Security sources indicated that the attackers engaged troops in a fierce exchange of fire before withdrawing, though details regarding the duration of the clash and the extent of damage to the base have not yet been fully disclosed.
The Chadian authorities strongly condemned the attack. President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno denounced the assault in a statement on social media, describing it as a “cowardly act” and reaffirming the state’s resolve to continue its military campaign against extremist groups operating in the region.
“The terrorist group Boko Haram has once again carried out a cowardly attack on our military position on Barak Tolorum Island,” the president said. “They will never prevail over the Republic. We will continue the fight with renewed determination until this threat is completely eliminated.”
Boko Haram and its splinter factions have remained active across the Lake Chad Basin for years, carrying out repeated attacks against military installations and civilian communities in Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon. Despite ongoing regional and multinational counterterrorism efforts, the group continues to exploit remote border areas to launch intermittent offensives.
In a related incident in January 2025, militants linked to the group reportedly opened fire near the presidential palace in the capital, N’Djamena, underscoring persistent security challenges facing the country.
